Analysis: Hong Kong, Mainland Reciprocal Court Rules Give Plaintiffs Legal Leg-Up

A newly enacted arrangement that would allow mutual recognition and enforcement of judgments between courts in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong could impact an individual’s choice of where to launch their litigation, while helping reduce costs, legal experts said.

In cases where both sides have jurisdiction but with different legal measures that could lead to varying outcomes, the party who initiates the legal action would have the right to choose the more favorable court in which to file a lawsuit, said Du Yue, a partner at Beijing Jincheng Tongda & Neal Law Firm.