Qingdao Huiquan Shipping Company v Shanghai Dong He Xin Industry Group Co Ltd QBD [2018] EWHC 3009 (Comm) involved a claim for an anti-suit injunction against a non-party to a contract containing a submission to English law and London arbitration. Owners concluded a settlement with cargo receivers whereby the latter paid for the lifting of a lien over cargo which the owners had exercised following time charterers’ default in paying h ire. The agreement was subject to English law and provided for London arbitration. The settlement provided that the receivers authorised agent, SDHX, which was not a party to the agreement, would make the payment. Three years later SDHX sued owners in a Chinese court claiming repayment of those sums. It alleged that there was an oral agreement between itself and the owners. In December 2017 the Qindao Shinan District Court decided that the dispute constituted a maritime dispute, and that the matter should be transferred to the Qingdao Maritime Court to decide on the validity of the London arbitration clause. SDHX’s appeal was dismissed by the Qindao Intermediate Maritime Court which stated that one of the foundations of SDHX’s claim was the settlement agreement between owners and the receivers.
In August 2018 owners applied for an interim anti-suit injunction. Bryan J held that this was an appropriate cased where such an injunction could be obtained against a non-party to the contract. SDHX had sought to rely upon the terms of the Settlement Agreement in advancing its claims in the Chinese proceedings. In doing so, therefore, it had to take the burden of the arbitration clause. For the purpose of the interim relief claim the issue of whether there was an oral agreement with the owners did not need to be considered. SDHX were unable to show that there had been such excessive delay by owners in commencing proceedings that the court should not exercise its discretion. This was not a case involving considerations of comity or where there had been substantive proceedings in China which would lead to the English court second-guessing an existing ruling of a Chinese court. There was also some benefit from the clarity that had been provided by the Chinese appellate court.
