https://www.scmp.com/rss/323017/feed Edward Liu is a partner at Haiwen & Partners and a leading lawyer in international arbitration, commercial litigation and maritime law. Dual-qualified in Hong Kong, England & Wales, and the PRC, he advises on complex cross-border disputes and regulatory issues. He is the principal representative of the International Chamber of Shipping in China, and serves on the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit Expert Group and several key legal and maritime advisory bodies to the Hong Kong SAR Government. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Edward Yang Liu Edward Yang Liu As conflict in the Middle East sends marine insurance costs surging, Hong Kong has an opening to prove that it is more than a port city by becoming a trusted centre for risk pricing, legal certainty and maritime resilience. When tensions rise in the Middle East, the first signs of trouble in global shipping do not always appear at sea. Often, they appear in the insurance market. Premiums jump. Underwriters retreat. Shipowners rethink routes. Long before a vessel is struck, the cost of moving... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3354092/how-war-risk-marine-insurance-can-set-hong-kong-apart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3354092/how-war-risk-marine-insurance-can-set-hong-kong-apart?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Edward Yang Liu Edward Yang Liu As US President Donald Trump places sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods, the spectre of trade war looms over global commerce. While attention remains on consumer goods and factory output, a quieter but potentially more lasting confrontation is taking shape that could remake global trade infrastructure. On April 17, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) concluded an investigation into China’s shipbuilding and maritime sectors. Framed as a response to alleged unfair practices, the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3309287/hong-kong-must-wake-dangers-us-port-and-shipping-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3309287/hong-kong-must-wake-dangers-us-port-and-shipping-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 01:30:09 +0000 The Department of Justice has organised a series of “Why Hong Kong” webinars recently. The series began in February with a session called “Why Hong Kong is Irreplaceable”, and in the following three months discussions covered opportunities in Hong Kong from legal and investment perspectives. It is not surprising the Department of Justice organised a series of webinars with a legal theme. However, it might be slightly unexpected that some of the sessions were investment-oriented. The series... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3140893/hong-kong-must-retain-its-unique-nature-it-supports-chinas-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3140893/hong-kong-must-retain-its-unique-nature-it-supports-chinas-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jul 2021 00:30:16 +0000 A recent article in the Financial Times, titled “Companies consider writing Hong Kong out of legal contracts” has caused a stir in the Hong Kong legal industry. The article quoted senior lawyers from 10 large law firms in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore, stating that companies from the United States and Japan were concerned mainland Chinese policies would jeopardise Hong Kong’s rule of law. Thus, they considered switching their choice for seat of arbitration from Hong Kong to Singapore in their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3121884/national-security-law-attacks-hong-kong-courts-ignore-strong-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3121884/national-security-law-attacks-hong-kong-courts-ignore-strong-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Feb 2021 00:30:08 +0000 Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Geoffrey Ma Tao-li recently issued an 18-page statement, widely seen as a response to the pro-establishment camp’s criticism of the judiciary because of recent rulings in cases related to the social unrest. While Ma explained how the Basic Law safeguards judicial independence, he did not use the opportunity to directly comment – or wisely avoided it – on the recent controversy over whether “separation of powers” exists in Hong Kong. More importantly and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3103914/hong-kong-does-not-need-separation-powers-maintain-judicial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3103914/hong-kong-does-not-need-separation-powers-maintain-judicial?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2020 00:30:09 +0000 When the first quarter of 2016 ended, Hong Kong, as an international financial centre, has already borne a spate of negative news. Firstly, the international rating agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s lowered the credit rating of Hong Kong from stable to negative. The Global Financial Centres Index released by British think-tank and consultancy Z/Yen shows that Hong Kong has dropped out of the top three rankings and is now surpassed by Singapore. The lowered credit rating and ranking are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1992731/regain-its-competitive-edge-hong-kong-must-stay-course?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1992731/regain-its-competitive-edge-hong-kong-must-stay-course?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jul 2016 09:37:51 +0000