From November 9 to 12, 2023, the "SCIA & SCIAHK Dual Qualification Tribunal Secretary Training Program", jointly launched by the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (hereinafter referred to as the "SCIA") and the South China International Arbitration Centre (Hong Kong) (hereinafter referred to as the "SCIAHK"), was held respectively in Shenzhen and the Hong Kong SAR. Thirty participants from the Hong Kong SAR and Chinese mainland took part in the four-day inaugural training session.

Anthony Neoh, Vice Chairman of the SCIA Council and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SCIAHK, delivered a lecture on "The Role of Tribunal Secretary in International Arbitration".

During the training sessions held at the conference hall of the SCIAHK in Central, Hong Kong, Anthony Neoh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SCIAHK, Kwai Huen Wong, Council Member of the SCIA and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SCIAHK, and Li Xiongfeng, Vice Secretary-general of the SCIAHK, all shared insights on topics including international arbitration systems, differences and similarities between arbitration in the Hong Kong SAR and Chinese mainland, the roles and responsibilities of tribunal secretaries in international arbitration and the arbitration rules of the SCIAHK.

In the training sessions held at the SCIA Tower in Qianhai, Shenzhen, Fan Qijuan, Deputy General Counsel of the SCIA, and other senior secretaries from the case management departments discussed topics such as the arbitration rules of the SCIA, an overview of the duties of tribunal secretaries, an overview of service procedures and points to note, an overview of tribunal formation procedures and points to note, communication and collaboration between tribunal secretaries, parties, and arbitrators, and the verification of arbitration awards. Dr. Liu Xiaochun, Vice Chairman of the SCIA Council and President of the SCIA concluded this training session with a summary speech.

This dual-city arbitration tribunal secretary training received strong support from the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, the Hong Kong Bar Association, and the Law Society of Hong Kong. Participants included barristers, solicitors, government lawyers, university faculty members from the Hong Kong SAR, lawyers, corporate legal counsel and arbitration institution staff from the Chinese mainland.

The training, conducted in both Chinese and English, covered legal jurisdictions in both the HKSAR and Chinese mainland. Participants who pass the qualification examination will receive dual certification from the SCIA and the SCIAHK and will have the opportunity to serve as tribunal secretaries in cases handled or managed by the two institutions.

Dr. Liu Xiaochun, Vice Chairman of the SCIA Council and President of the SCIA , delivered the closing remarks.

Participants posed for a group photo during the training sessions.