Guangzhou court launches online authorization platform

The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court released its online authorization platform named AOL, which stands for all on line, on June 10, allowing parties from Hong Kong and Macao to appoint attorneys online within five minutes.

Wu Xiang, vice president of the court, noted that Hong Kong and Macao parties filing a lawsuit on the Chinese mainland could previously appoint attorneys in only three ways, through courts, notary organizations or Hong Kong and Macao lawyers. 

As all three measures required the involved parties to travel between Hong Kong or Macao and the Chinese mainland, the trial process could sometimes be influenced by incomplete authorization processes.

The trial operation of AOL first started in March 2019 and has carried out online authorization for 108 cases.

With the help of the online platform, parties from Hong Kong and Macao can log on the platform with their attorneys on the same time to finish the authorization process in the presence of the judge within five minutes.

Wu added that the platform applies a three-factor authentication to users' identifications, verifying their names, personal identification number, and facial recognition. Blockchain technologies have also been integrated into the platform to ensure that the whole process can be traced online.

Wu said that efforts will be made to further promote the application of this online platform to all foreign-related disputes to offer better judicial services for the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.