First cross-border mediation case settled

The Macau Consumer Council (CC) and the Consumer Association of Hengqin New Area of Zhuhai settled the first cross-border mediation case via a “Cross-border video mediation platform.” The consumer dispute involved a local resident, who purchased a real estate in Hengqin, and a real estate agent in that area. According to the CC, the whole process took less than half an hour and assistance was given to the consumer by the Council so that both parties could sign the mediation agreement as soon as possible. After using the service, a local resident, surnamed Ng, stated that the platform enables her to communicate directly with the other party using the network equipment at the Council to save time and get prepared for her claim. The Consumer Arbitration Centre under the CC launched its cross-border mediation and arbitration service early this year and expanded the service with cities including Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Foshan, Hengqin New Area of Zhuhai and Hong Kong.