HKIAC Opens Public Consultation for Proposed Amendments to the Administered Arbitration Rules

On 23 January 2024, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (“HKIAC”) launched a public consultation on proposed amendments to the current version of the Administered Arbitration Rules, which came into force on 1 November 2018. The proposed amendments come after six years of implementation of the current Administered Arbitration Rules and include newly drafted provisions which reflect topical issues and developments in the global arbitration community. It should be noted that this is not a full re-write of the current rules, rather a tinkering to ensure that Hong Kong and the HKIAC remain both a jurisdiction and arbitral institution of choice for international parties.

Key Amendments

1. Diversity in Appointing Arbitrators

A significant change in the Administered Arbitration Rules is the inclusion of a new Article on diversity. The newly drafted Article 10 states that parties in arbitral proceeding and co-arbitrators should “take into account considerations of diversity” when choosing an arbitrator. By the same token, the HKIAC will also…