HKCEC

In March 2018, the OECD issued a preliminary report discussing the challenges of taxing the digital economy. Drawing strength from Action 1 of the BEPS report, this recent report studies the characteristics of digital businesses including its remote presence, reliance on intangibles and data, and heavy user participation. Having said this, the notion of how to tax the digital economy remains a difficult question for countries worldwide. Despite the urgency on the part of tax authorities wanting to tax the digital economy, there is still no common global on how to achieve this. The new business models that the digital economy creates remain elusive from the taxation net and this is partially contributed to the fact existing tax laws and framework are not suited to effectively tackle this.

With international pressure and interest in this area, this session aims to discuss how tax authorities in this region are preparing to address the question of taxing the digital economy, which has revolutionised the manner in which people today live and conduct their daily lives including businesses. This session will also analyse the unilateral approaches taken by some governments are effective or are these pure interim measures.

HKCEC

This session will focus on the adoption and implementation of UNCITRAL’s e-Commerce Conventions and model laws, with particular emphasis upon the requirements of the revamped Trans Pacific Partnership and approaches within ASEAN to the regulation of electronic commerce.

HKCEC

• Legal responsibilities and business risks of enterprises and their directors for the contribution and exposure of the enterprises’ activities, goods and services to climate change and its consequences
• Legal responsibilities and business risks of financiers of such enterprises
• Legal responsibilities and business risks of investors of such enterprises.

HKCEC

Since its inception in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has attracted a lot of attention and secured wide participation from the international community. To date, some 170 countries and international organisations have signed BRI cooperation documents. Pilot projects such as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China-Laos Railway and Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway have steadily progressed. A few developed countries have expressed their interest in conducting mutually beneficial cooperation with China as well as with any third party. The Belt and Road Initiative is opening up even broader prospects for development.

As the Belt and Road Initiative develops, there is an increase in the number of disputes arising from various fields such as investment, trade, taxation, finance, land and labour, which entails an urgent need to improve legal services and international dispute settlement mechanisms and strengthen international cooperation in relevant fields.

This session will: (1) discuss major legal risks and problems faced in Belt and Road Projects; (2) explore different routes to develop and improve international dispute settlement mechanisms within Asian-Pacific region; (3) summarise the practice and experience of transnational legal service; (4) discuss the role of lawyers and law firms in legal advice and dispute resolution and potential for further collaboration.

HKCEC

This session will examine existing Cross-Border Insolvency regimes in Asia, and contrast the approaches to reorganisation under Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korean and Australian law, particularly in light of the 2017 Singapore legislative amendments. It is hoped to draw upon Judicial speakers for this session.

HKCEC

The session will focus on:
• Enforcing IP Rights in PRC – What Options Are Available & What is Most Effective
• Counterfeiting and Remedies – Is enforcement effective?
• Litigation v Mediation – What is best for IP Disputes
• Domain Name Arbitration – Is the System still delivering effective results?

HKCEC