Events

To strengthen the ability of local enterprises to manage overseas risks and expand international trade, the city of Ningguo hosted a specialized foreign trade training session on July 30. The event attracted over 100 participants, including business representatives, government officials, and industry experts.

Key topics covered during the session included:

·      Foreign trade policies, with insights on provincial and municipal promotion measures from the
       Commerce Bureau
·      Credit insurance and strategies for mitigating overseas risks
·      Export tax rebates
·      Legal best practices in international trade

Dr. Wilson Sung of Georgiou Partnership was among the speakers, sharing his expertise during the discussions.

The training aimed to help enterprises leverage policy incentives, manage risks, and capitalize on international opportunities. By enhancing their ability to assess and respond to global trade challenges, Ningguo’s businesses are better positioned to expand their market presence, optimize trade structures, and drive high-quality growth in the city’s export economy.

This initiative reflects Ningguo’s ongoing commitment to building a resilient and competitive foreign trade environment.

Anhui province native and Georgiou Partnership LLP Special Counsel, Dr Wilson Sung (宋利国), spoke at the launch ceremony of the Anhui (Hefei) Foreign-Related Legal Service Centre (AFLSC) on 28 July 2025.

Anhui is at the center of China’s rapid development in the high-tech sector, an established industrial powerhouse, and the home for many international businesses including Chery Automotive, Sungrow Power, Anhui Forklift Group, iFLYTEK Co., Ltd, and Haima Cloud Technology Co., Ltd. The objective of the AFLSC is to elevate the quality of local legal services and improve the level of legal support to outward-bound businesses pursuing growth opportunities across the globe in these challenging times.  

The ceremony was facilitated by Mr Luo Jianhua(罗建华), Director of Anhui Department of Justice. Wilson and Phillip Georgiou were invited to attend the ceremony with a number of honoured guests including Mr. Fan Zhong Hou (樊忠厚), Head of Foreign Affairs Office, Anhui Province; Mr. Liu Wei Bao (刘卫宝), Hefei City Secretary of Political and Legal Affairs Commission and President of Public Security Bureau, Hefei City; and heads of Anhui Province Department of Commerce.

The opening ceremony was followed by the AFLSC’s first conference on foreign-related legal issues facilitated by Mr. Yin Bang Ding (音邦定), President of the Anhui Law Society. In attendance were over two hundred private practice lawyers, inhouse counsel, and senior government officials. Wilson’s presentation focused on the advantages of Hong Kong as the gateway for Anhui enterprises going global. He highlighted the value the city’s international lawyers bring to mainland Chinese law firms and their clients doing business in unpredictable as well as politically hostile environments.

IWIRC Black Tie Dinner was a great night bringing together Hong Kong's restructuring and insolvency community while supporting Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women | RainLily, a local charity providing care and support to women impacted by sexual violence.

Thank you to Ruth Stackpool-Moore, Denny Tse, Sharina Mahtani, Jia Rong Oh, Joffrey Tan and Kelly Chan for joining our table.

Beth Hackney from Georgiou Partnership took part in a “Taste of Hong Kong” walking tour organized by Omni Bridgeway, as part of the wider INSOL events happening in the third week of March 2025.

During the tour, Beth enjoyed a variety of local dishes, including siu mai, sai do si, gai daan jai, and the classic daan tat, complemented by a refreshing milk tea.

She joined Eloise Matsui, Adam Silverman, Naomi Barber from Omni Bridgeway along with others, from Nishimura, Kordamentha, Yulchon, Grant Thornton, Kobre & Kim, Corcodis, Kroll and twenty Essex Chambers  including Margot Macinnis, Sugano Yuri, Kotaro Fuji, David Kim, Patrick Fitzmaurice, Lee Shish, Stephen Keen, Georgia Chow, Daniel Saval, Jeremy Nipps, Barry Wight, Bruno Arboit, and Karen Petch.

A pleasant afternoon of exploration and good food.

We all had such fun at the HK Arbitration Charity Ball on 23rd October 2024! Thank you to our guests, Eloise Matsui, Olga Dontsova, Tatiana Polevshchikova, Jiaxiang Zhuo and Stuart D'Addona for joining us on our table. It was great to see so many people at the ball and to welcome back so many familiar faces to HK during arbitration week.

We were happy to be supporting two fantastic organisations again this year; the Splash Foundation and the Equal Justice Project.

Is there a place for sanctions in commercial arbitration? 
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International commercial arbitration is aimed at promoting trade and globalisation, whereas sanctions are a coercive, diplomatic measure which interferes with trade in the hope of changing states' behaviour. When two such competing regimes collide, arbitrators and arbitration practitioners have the unenviable task of reconciling the irreconcilable, with the impact of sanctions felt at every stage of proceedings, from matter inception to the enforcement of awards.

Beth Hackney took part in a very interesting talk during HK Arbitration week 2024, on Sanctions in arbitration proceedings at HKIAC as part of HK Arbitration week. Arranged by Stephenson Harwood - Wei Tu (China), along with her fellow panelists Sara Masters KC, Dr. Alice Meissner, Nick Panes and Andrew Rigden Green.

Our now legendary Vinyl & Vino Party was held again on 15th August 2024 and we would like to thank our friends in the insolvency and offshore community who joined us for our Vinyl & Vino party at Franks Records on Wyndham Street.
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It was a fun evening, which, if the rumours are true, carried on until the wee hours of the morning for the grand finale at Insomnia. We don’t have the evidence of the after party but here is a little taster of the main event!

If you want to get a taste of the tunes of the night, Click here for the playlist on spotify