A liquidator is usually involved at the end of a company’s life cycle. The role of a liquidator includes investigating the reasons why a company has failed; collecting, protecting and realising the company’s assets; and distributing the proceeds of realisation in accordance with the statutory rules of distribution. The liquidator regime in Hong Kong thus places an emphasis on ensuring that the winding-up of financially distressed businesses is conducted in a fair and orderly manner and under the control and oversight of professionals conversant with the winding-up process and rules.

Under Hong Kong law, the terms “insolvency”, “liquidation” or “winding-up” are used with reference to companies, and “bankruptcy” is used in relation to individuals. The former are primarily regulated by Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions Ordinance) (CWUO) (Cap. 32), and the latter by the Bankruptcy Ordinance (Cap 6). The article below focuses on the corporate insolvency regime, in relation to financially distressed companies which are unable to pay their debts or discharge their payment obligations.

“As is well known, other than schemes of arrangement, Hong Kong has no legislation that provides for corporate debt restructuring or rehabilitation. This unsatisfactory state of affairs has been the subject of much invariably adverse comment for two decades now. It is brought into unforgiving focus by the economic problems that Covid-19 is causing.

China Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd (the “Company”) is a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and listed on the Hong Kong exchange. Almost 100% of the group’s revenue is generated by its Mainland subsidiaries, from the manufacture and sale of fruit and vegetable concentrate, purée and juice beverages in the Mainland.