Forthcoming Seminar(s)

Workshop on "Factoring and A/C Receivables Financing - Documentation and Enforcement Case Studies" conducted by Mr. Fung King Tak:


- 1 November, 2008 (Saturday), 9:00 am - 5:00pm
- 6.5 PDUs for CDCS being applied

Forthcoming Event(s)

ICC-HK supports Juris Conferences Third Annual Asian Leading Arbitrators' Symposium on the Conduct of International Arbitration

- 11th Sept, 2008 (Thursday), 9:00 am - 5:30 pm
-
visit http://www.jurisconferences.com/arbitration.php?id=15&p=1for program andregistration form.


 

ICC News Flash

Commentary on UCP 600

ICC Publication 680, available November, 2007

UPC 600, the latest version of ICC's universally used rules on documentary credits, came into effect on July 1st, 2007.

Members of the Drafting Group that developed the new UCP have produced an article-by-article Commentary on the rules.Commentary on UCP 600, which reflects the Group's personal views, explains their rationale behind the changes in the rules and clarifies the general principles that underlie them.

The Drafting Group's Commentary on UCP 600 examines each of the 39 articles of the new UCP. Each article and sub-article is analyzed under four different topics:

  • The text of the article ( or sub-article),
  • The key changes from the UCP 500,
  • A commentary explaining the rationale for the new language, and
  • The cross-references to other articles in UCP 600.

Practical, compact and easy-to-read, Commentary on UCP 600 will be a reference book of choice for students and users of the new UCP.


Please click here for order form. For enquiry, please feel free to contact Ms. Christy Li at 2973 0006.

ICC elects new Chairman and Vice-Chairman

Hong Kong, 13 June 2008

 

Victor Fung (top image) and Rajat Kumar Gupta (bottom image)

 

A new Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce were elected today at the meeting of ICC's World Council, which brought together over 130 of its business members from 57 countries.

Leading Hong Kong businessman Victor Fung to become ICC Chairman

Victor Fung , the Chairman of the Li & Fung Group of companies, will become the first ICC Chairman from Hong Kong. Li & Fung Group has major subsidiaries in trading, distribution and retailing, including publicly-listed Li & Fung Limited, Integrated Distribution Services Group Limited, and Convenience Retail Asia.

Mr Fung is also Chairman of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council, the Hong Kong University Council , and the Hong Kong-Japan Business Co-operation Committee.

Mr Fung will assume the role of ICC Chairman on 1 July 2008, after having served for 18 months as ICC's Vice Chair. He will replace Marcus Wallenberg, who will become ICC Honorary Chairman. Mr Fung, who will serve as ICC Chairman for two years, holds a number of civic and professional appointments. He is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Hong Kong Government Commission on Strategic Development, and head of a focus group for the Economic Summit on China's 11th Five-Year Plan and the Development of Hong Kong, organized by the Hong Kong Government.

Mr Fung has written and spoken widely on international trade matters and is a strong advocate of the multilateral trading system. He has served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, as the Hong Kong representative on the APEC Business Advisory Council, and on the Informal Business Advisory Body to the World Trade Organization. He has also served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Airport Authority.

"With the global economy facing numerous interrelated challenges that are creating worldwide economic uncertainty, there has never been a greater need for world business to speak loudly and forcefully in favour of the multilateral trading system," said Mr Fung. "ICC, which has a worldwide network of experts and works closely with governments and intergovernmental organizations, is well-positioned to help find global solutions to these obstacles to economic growth," he added.

In his address to the ICC World Council today, Chairman-elect Mr Fung said he also wanted to use his chairmanship to increase ICC's visibility in the Asia Pacific region.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mr Fung holds bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a doctorate in business economics from Harvard University. He was a professor at the Harvard Business School for four years before returning to Hong Kong in 1976.  

Rajat Kumar Gupta elected ICC Vice-Chairman

Rajat Kumar Gupta was today elected Vice-Chairman of ICC and will also begin his two-year term on 1 July 2008.

Mr Gupta is the Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company. He joined the firm's New York office in 1973, assumed leadership of its Scandinavian offices in 1981, and Chicago office in 1989. Mr Gupta served as the Managing Director Worldwide of McKinsey from 1994 to 2003.

In his 34 year career in consulting, Mr Gupta has served many leading companies on a broad set of topics related to strategy, organization and operations. He has played a leadership role in organizational thinking throughout his career, and led the Organization Practice for McKinsey.

Mr Gupta is an independent Director of Goldman Sachs, Procter & Gamble, AMR Corporation, and Qatar Financial Centre. He also holds leadership positions in various not-for-profit institutions, including Chairman of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Chairman of the India AIDS Initiative of The Gates Foundation, and Chairman of the Public Health Foundation of India.

Mr Gupta possesses an in-depth knowledge of the United Nations, having served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on UN Reform.

Mr Gupta said he looked forward to building on ICC's long history of providing vital services to business.

"Like ICC's founders, I believe international trade and investment are critical factors for economic growth and job creation, with important implications also for cross-border cooperation," Mr Gupta said.

Mr Gupta holds a bachelor of technology degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

Current ICC Chairman Marcus Wallenberg will become ICC Honorary Chairman

The Chairman of SEB, Saab and Electrolux, and current ICC Chairman, Marcus Wallenberg, will become ICC Honorary Chairman on 1 July 2008.

During his term as Chairman, Mr Wallenberg is credited with strengthening ICC's three main roles, namely as "the voice of international business", the creator of voluntary rules for the conduct of international business and as a provider of services to international business.

At the World Council meeting today, Mr Wallenberg said he had been privileged to lead the ICC, that he looked forward to continuing his work with the organization and that he was confident the new ICC Chairmanship would ensure ICC continues to grow in influence and stature.

For more information, please contact:
Ms. Daisy Lau
Manager - Administration
Tel: 2973-0006

ICC International Court of arbitration to open offices in Asia

Hong Kong, 14 March 2008

The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce and the Secretariat of the ICC Court have decided to locate their new offices in Hong Kong and Singapore.

In recognition of the growing importance of the Asia Pacific region to ICC Dispute Resolution Services and the ICC International Court of Arbitration, ICC announced in September 2007 its intention to establish a branch of the Court's Secretariat in Asia to administer ICC cases in the region.

ICC has now decided on two important initiatives:

  • It will open a branch of the Secretariat of the Court in Hong Kong with a case management team to administer cases in the region under the ICC Rules of Arbitration.
  • It will locate the Director, ICC Arbitration and Amicable Dispute Resolution Asia in Singapore, where it will open a liaison office dedicated to ICC Dispute Resolution Services.

Both initiatives will be implemented in the last quarter of 2008 and should be fully operational by the end of the year.

The Secretary General of the ICC Court, Jason Fry, commented: "We are very excited by these two steps which reflect our conviction that the Asia Pacific region is of significant importance to the future of ICC Dispute Resolution Services. Our desire was to respond to an increasing demand for the provision of high quality services locally. ICC is a truly international organization and as such wishes to ensure its global reach to the international business community."

He added: "We are grateful for the encouragement we have received from the governments of Singapore and Hong Kong to come to the region. Both Singapore and Hong Kong are recognized hubs for international dispute resolution. That fact is reflected in this two pronged approach to the region."

The Chairman of the ICC Court, Pierre Tercier, said: "This important step will be a milestone in the development of ICC Dispute Resolution Services. It will increase our presence in Asia and demonstrate once more the international character of the institution."

ICC Secretary General Guy Sebban said: "We are very pleased to announce this key decision that reflects one of the main conclusions of a strategic survey conducted by ICC in 2007, namely to recognize the growing importance of Asia as one part of the world where ICC should have a greater presence and increased visibility."

  ICC-HK Opinions
     
 

1. Opinion on Green Paper on Constitutional Development, 2007

 
[English Version] [Chinese Version]
 
2. Opinion on Goods & Services Tax, 2006
 
[English Version] [Chinese Version]


 

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