Macao could open a new international arbitration centre

The Macao government is considering the establishment of an arbitration centre aimed at resolving business disputes between entities in China and Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries. 

At a Legislative Assembly session reported by local media yesterday, Macao’s secretary for administration and justice, Wong Sio Chak, said the authorities were looking at working with local arbitration organisations to set up the arbitration centre. 

Wong said that the proposal was being put forward in response to demand for cross-border arbitration services and added that such an institution would help to promote Macao’s positioning as a business hub connecting China and Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries. 

What else do we know about the proposed arbitration centre? 

The secretary did not divulge further details on how far plans for the proposed centre had progressed, nor the venue’s possible location. (It is worth noting that the Service Centre for Economy and Trade Between China and Portuguese/Spanish-Speaking Countries, opened in 2025, is situated in Hengqin.) 

Instead, Wong pointed out that the government would continue to gather the opinions and suggestions of different business sectors. 

[See more: Macao and Hong Kong lawyers gather to strengthen GBA legal ties]

He added that the authorities would explore the establishment of a general mediation system for commercial and civil matters. This would involve drawing from the mediation laws and mechanisms of other countries and territories, and integrating them accordingly to fit with Macao’s situation and needs. 

“The government will continue to organise Macao SAR arbitrators and mediators to carry out fact-finding trips in the Greater Bay Area (GBA),” he said. “It will also work with Macao’s Legal and Judicial Training Centre to organise practical mediation training courses for GBA mediators.” 

Which Greater Bay Area cities have set up crossborder mediation and arbitration bodies?

While Macao mulls the possibility of a new cross-border arbitration centre, major cities in the GBA have already set up such institutions. They include Shenzhen, which founded an international commercial court in March 2026 to deal with cross-border business disputes.

Similarly, Hong Kong established the International Organisation for Mediation in October 2025, the world’s first intergovernmental international legal body focused on resolving commercial disputes between nations. 

There have also been efforts to integrate the mediation and arbitration systems of the various GBA cities in recent years. For instance, the Macau Consumer Council worked with the Shenzhen Consumer Committee in 2025 to resolve a crossborder consumer dispute through video call for the first time.  

That same year, Hong Kong mediation organisations were given the right to carry out their work in mainland China’s free-trade zones.