Strengthening Singapore China Legal Cooperation with a MOC and a Joint Experts Team

07 APR 2022

07 Apr 2022 Posted in Press releases

  1. Singapore and China are set to deepen cooperation in international commercial dispute resolution, with the signing of a new Memorandum of Cooperation at the second Singapore-China International Commercial Dispute Resolution Conference. A new Joint Experts Team, comprising eminent practitioners and academics from both sides, was also unveiled to study the feasibility of developing a new joint dispute resolution mechanism.
  1. Held in Singapore and China, and streamed online on 7 April 2022, the Conference is co-hosted by the Ministry of Law (“MinLaw”), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (“CCPIT”), and the International Commercial Dispute Prevention and Settlement Organization (“ICDPASO”). It is also co-organised by Maxwell Chambers Pte Ltd, Department of Legal Affairs of CCPIT, Xiamen Leading Group Office for Construction of Maritime Silkroad Central Legal District, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Xiamen Committee, and Secretariat of ICDPASO.
  1. The second edition of the Conference built on the success of the inaugural conference held in Beijing in January 2019, which saw over 300 judges, government officials, legal and dispute resolution practitioners, in-house counsel, business executives, and academics participating in-person, and close to 400,000 participating online.
  1. This year’s Conference focused on the theme, “Development and Future of International Commercial Dispute Resolution”. Through a series of speeches and panel discussions by speakers from both Singapore and China in the government, legal and business sectors, the conference sought to examine the latest developments in arbitration, mediation, litigation, as well as how they are expected to evolve over the next few years. It also discussed how Singapore and China can work together to help businesses in the region and beyond, resolve their commercial disputes more fairly, efficiently, and cost-effectively, to advance cross-border commerce, investment, and economic cooperation.
  1. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law Mr Edwin Tong SC said, “Today’s Conference is a testament to the strong and deep friendship between MinLaw and CCPIT built over the years, founded upon our warm relations with China. We look forward to working closely with our Chinese counterparts to strengthen exchanges, share knowledge and deepen understanding in international commercial dispute resolution. Such collaborations and mutual learning can only bring benefits to the legal and dispute resolution sectors, as well as businesses in both countries.”

Areas of legal cooperation

Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC)

  1. An MOC was signed between MinLaw and CCPIT to reinforce commitment on organising a joint high-level conference on international commercial dispute resolution annually. The MOC was signed by Mr Calvin Phua, Deputy Secretary of MinLaw, and Mr Ke Liangdong, Vice Chairperson of CCPIT.

Joint Experts Team

  1. The twelve members of the Joint Experts Team were unveiled at the Conference. The Team, comprising six members each from Singapore and China with a wealth of legal expertise, will conduct research and make recommendations on the implementation of a joint dispute resolution mechanism.
  1. The setting up of the Team follows an MOU that MinLaw signed with CCPIT on the sidelines of the 16th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in December 2020. At the time, the MOU established a Working Group to study the feasibility of developing a joint dispute resolution mechanism, including a joint dispute resolution centre. The Working Group had recommended that a Joint Experts Team be convened to study the relevant legislation and legal issues.
  1. The members of the Joint Experts Team are as follows (see Annex for profiles of the members).
Singapore China
Cavinder Bull SC
Vice President, Court of Arbitration, Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC); CEO, Drew & Napier		 Xiao Yongping
Director, Wuhan University Institute of International Law; Standing Vice President of China Society of Private International Law
Daryl Chew
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Maxwell Chambers; Managing Partner, Three Crowns LLP, Singapore office; Co-Chair, Young Singapore International Arbitration Centre (YSIAC) Committee		 Li Hu
Vice Chairman, China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC); Arbitrator of International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
Chia Kim Huat
Regional Head, Corporate & Transactional Practice, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP; Legal Advisor, Singapore-China Business Association		 Liu Jingdong
Director, International Economic Law Department, the Institute for International Law of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Member of the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court
Hee Theng Fong
Lawyer, Arbitrator, Mediator; Consultant, Harry Elias Partnership LLP		 Wang Xuehua
Founding Partner, Huanzhong & Partners; Executive Director, China Arbitration Law Society
Adrian Tan
President, Law Society of Singapore; Partner, TSMP Law Corporation		 Li Shouping
Academician, International Academy of Astronautics (IAA); Dean of Law School of Beijing Institute of Technology
Yip Man
Associate Professor of Law, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University; Director, Centre for Commercial Law in Asia, Singapore Management University		 Zhang Zhenan
Senior Partner, Shanghai Co-Effort Law Firm; Deputy Chairman, Shanghai Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export

MINISTRY OF LAW
07 APRIL 2022

Annex - Members of the Joint Experts Team

Last updated on 07 Apr 2022