HCCH Asia Pacific Week 2023
HCCH Asia Pacific Week 2023 – Access to Justice and Sustainable Development: The Impact of the HCCH in an Inter-Connected World, was successfully held from 11 to 14 September 2023 in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), China.
The HCCH celebrated its 130th Anniversary during the HCCH Asia Pacific Week. During the week, many important conventions and instruments of the HCCH were promoted and examined by the experts from around the Asia Pacific Region.
The program of the Conference was:
Day One | Mon 11 September 2023
13:00 Registration
Opening
14:00 Welcome Remarks
Mr John Lee Ka-Chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic
of China
Chunyin Hua, Assistant Minster, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China
Commissioner, Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s
Republic of China in the Hong Kong SAR
Mr Paul Lam Ting-Kwok, Secretary for Justice, Hong Kong SAR of the People’s
Republic of China
Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice Chancellor, The University of Hong Kong,
Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China
Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the HCCH
14:50 Group Photo
Session 1 | The HCCH: Benefits of Membership & Key Conventions
15:00 Introductory Presentation: An Overview of the HCCH
Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the HCCH
15:15 Keynote Speech: Private International Law and the Rule of Law
Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong
SAR of the People’s Republic of China
15:30 Regional Perspectives
HCCH Regional Office for the Asia and the Pacific, ROAP:
Prof Yun Zhao, Representative of the HCCH ROAP / Associate Dean, Faculty of
Law, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC:
Dr James Ding, Chair, APEC Economic Committee / Law Officer (International Law),
Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China
Asian African Legal Consultative Organization, AALCO:
Mr Nick Chan, Director General, AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre
The Law Association for Asia and the Pacific, LawAsia:
Ms Melissa Pang, President, LawAsia
International Organization for Mediation (Preparatory Office), IMOed:
Dr Jin Sun, Director General of the IMOed Preparatory Office
16:10 Q&A
16:30 Coffee Break
Session 2 | Joint Statement
18:15 Welcome Reception (By Invitation Only)Asia Pacific Week 2023 | Draft Programme
Day Two | Tuesday 12 September – a Day of Celebration: The 130th Anniversary of
the HCCH and the Entry into Force of the 2019 Judgments Convention
08:30 Registration
Session 3 | 130th Anniversary of the HCCH (Part One)
09:30 Opening: The 130th Anniversary of the HCCH
Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the HCCH
09:45 Keynote Speech: The Role of Private International Law in the 21st Century
Prof Jin Huang, President, Chinese Society of Private International Law
10:10 Panel: Challenges and Opportunities for Private International Law in the 21st Century
Prof Junhyok Jang, Sungkyunkwan University, the Republic of Korea
Prof Alan Gibb, Professional Consultant, Associate Professor of Practice in Law,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of
China
10:40 Q&A
11:00 Coffee Break
Session 4 | 130th Anniversary of the HCCH (Part Two)
11:30 Panel: Regional Perspectives of the Impact of the HCCH
Prof Tao Du, Dean, School of International Law, East China University of Political
Science and Law, China
Mr Patthara Limsira, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Ramkhamhaeng University, Thailand
12:00 Panel: Looking Forward to the Next 130 Years: Challenges and Opportunities for the HCCH
Hon Justice Xiaoli Gao, Chief Judge of the Fourth Civil Division, Supreme People’s
Court, China
Ms Delphia Lim, Director, International Division, Ministry of Law, Singapore
12:40 Q&A
13:00 Lunch Break
Session 5 | Entry into Force of the 2019 Judgments Convention (Part One)
14:30 Keynote Speech: The 2019 Judgments Convention – A Gamechanger in Transnational
Litigation
Hon Justice David Goddard (Online), Judge, High Court and Court of Appeal,
New Zealand
14:50 Introduction to the 2019 Judgments Convention: History, Text, and Impact
Prof Yuko Nishitani, Kyoto University, Japan
15:10 Panel: Joining the 2019 Judgments Convention: Experiences of Contracting Parties
Prof Fernando Dias Simoes, Associate Professor of Law at Lusíada University of
Porto and Portucalense University, Porto (Portugal)
Dr Jacek Kozikowski, Partner, Kochanski & Partners, Poland
15:40 Q&A
16:00 Coffee Break
Session 6 | Entry into Force of the 2019 Judgments Convention (Part Two)
16:30 Benefits and Challenges of the Judgments Convention
Prof Zhengxin Huo, Professor of Law and Vice Dean of the Faculty of International
Law at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL), China
16:50 Panel: Regional Perspectives
Ms Peggy Au Yeung, Principal Government Counsel, Department of Justice of the
Government, Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China
Judge Soojin Cho, Judge, Seoul Western District Court, Korea
17:30 Looking Forward: The Jurisdiction Project
Prof Keisuke Takeshita, Professor, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University,
Japan
17:50 Q&A
18:15 Dinner (By Invitation Only)
Day Three| Wednesday 13 September
08:30 Registration
Transnational Litigation and Legal Cooperation
Session 7 | 2005 Choice of Court Convention
09:30 Introductory Presentation
Prof Jianwen Luo, Professor, School of Law, Sun Yat-sen University, China
09:50 Regional Perspectives
Prof Gyooho Lee (Online), Professor, School of Law, Chung-Ang University, the
Republic of Korea
Prof Afifah Kusumadara, Associate Professor, the Faculty of Law, Brawijaya University,
Indonesia
10:10 Q&A
Session 8 | 1961 Apostille Convention
10:30 Introductory Presentation
Mr Simon Kwang, Registrar, High Court of the Hong Kong SAR of the People’s
Republic of China
10:50 Regional Perspectives
Ms Dyan Kristine Miranda-Pastrana, Director, Office of Consular Affairs, Department
of Foreign Affairs, Philippines
Mr Paul Neo, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer, Singapore Academy of
Law, Singapore
11:10 Q&A
11:30 Coffee Break
Session 9 | 1965 Service Convention & 1970 Evidence Convention
12:00 Introductory Presentation
Mr Brody Warren (Online), Assistant Director, Private International & Commercial Law
Section, Attorney-General’s Department, Australia
12:20 Regional Perspectives
Hon Raul B. Villanueva, Court Administrator, Supreme Court of the Philippines
Ms Pham Ho Huong, Department of International Law, Ministry of Justice, Vietnam
12:40 Q&A
13:00 Lunch Break
International Commercial, Digital and Financial Law
Session 10 | Normative Work in International Commercial, Digital and Financial Law
14:30 Normative Projects: The Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), HCCH-UNIDROIT Digital
Assets and Tokens (DAT) Joint Project, Digital Economy, and Insolvency Projects
Dr Gerardine Goh Escolar, Deputy Secretary General of the HCCH
15:00 Regional Perspectives
Prof Jingxia Shi, Professor, School of Law, Renmin University of China (RUC), China
Dr Emily Lee, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong, Hong
Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China
15:20 Q&A
Session 11 | 2015 Choice of Law Principles
15:40 Introductory Presentation
Prof Guangjian Tu, Professor, School of Law, the University of Macau, Macau SAR of
the People’s Republic of China
16:00 Regional Perspectives
Prof Nobumichi Teramura, Assistant Professor, the Institute of Asian Studies,
University of Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam
Prof Priskila Pratita Penasthika, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Universitas
Indonesia, Indonesia
16:20 Q&A
16:40 Tea & Coffee Break
Session 12 | 2006 Securities & 1985 Trusts Conventions
17:10 Introductory Presentation
Prof Yongping Xiao, Director of International Law Institute of Wuhan University, China
17:30 Regional Perspectives
Dr Dicky Tsang, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Chinese University of
Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China
Dr Adeline Chong, Associate Professor, School of Law, Singapore Management
University, Singapore
17:50 Q&A
18:10 Conclusion of Day Three
18:15 Dinner (By Invitation Only)
Day Four| Thursday 14 September
08:30 Registration
International Family and Child Protection Law
Session 13 | 1993 Adoption Convention
09:30 Introductory Presentation
Hon Justice Bebe Chu, Judge, Court of First Instance of the High Court of Hong Kong
SAR of the People’s Republic of China
09:50 Regional Perspectives
Prof Elizabeth H. Aguiling-Pangalangan, College of Law Director, Institute of Human
Rights, Law Center University of the Philippines
Ms Iris Liu, Programme Director of Cross-boundary and International Casework,
International Social Service Hong Kong Branch
10:10 Q&A
Session 14 | 1980 Child Abduction Convention & 1996 Child Protection Convention
10:30 Introductory Presentation
Hon Justice Victoria Bennett, Judge, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia
10:50 Regional Perspectives
Hon Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the Philippines
Mr Stephen Yau GBS, Chief Executive, International Social Service Hong Kong Branch
Ms Yet Ngo Foo, Y.N. Foo & Partners, Malaysia
11:20 Q&A
11:40 Tea & Coffee Break
Session 15 | 2000 Adults Convention & 2007 Child Support Convention
12:10 Introductory Presentation
Hon Chief Justice John Pascoe AC CVO, former Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit
and Family Court of Australia of Australia, Deputy Chancellor of the University of New
South Wales, Australia
12:30 Regional Perspectives
Hon Angelene Mary W. Quimpo-Sale, Associate Justice of Court of Appeals of
the Philippines, Philippines
Mr Enzo Chow, Barrister of the Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China
12:50 Q&A
Closing
13:10 Closing Remarks
Mr Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, Deputy Secretary for Justice, Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China
Dr Gerardine Goh Escolar, Deputy Secretary General of the HCCH
13:30 Farewell Lunch (By Invitation Only)