As the world welcomes in the Year of the Rabbit, we look back at seven decisions that made an impact over the past year.

In the decisions, the Hong Kong courts considered the circumstances in which interim relief should be granted, the boundaries of the “one stop shop” adjudication approach in the context of construction cases and the importance of witness evidence when deciding whether an arbitration agreement exists in the first place.

A question of construction

The issue of whether an arbitration clause between the parties exists at all is one that often comes before the courts. With it comes all kinds of questions of interpretation, intention and an analysis of the underlying factual matrix.