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)