On 25 November 2020, Mr Zhu Jifan, Vice Chairman of Beihai Arbitration Commision and Executive Director of BAIAC was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the 15th National Mineral Conference in Hangzhou.
The conference is hosted by China Collaborative Innovation Platform for Mineral Resources and Materials Applications, co-organized by Institute of Minerals, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Chinas Geology Society, Beijing Endi Reserves Technology Development Co., Ltd. The theme of the conference is Close Integration of Production, Learning and Research, Scientific and Technological Innovation Leading the Way, Promoting Green Mining Development and Safeguarding Mineral Resources Security. As an integral part of the whole chain of the mining industry, arbitration plays a vital role in the development of mining industry and in going global.
Mr Zhu Jifan in his keynote speech among others dealt with the advantages of arbitration in resolving mining disputes, Belt and Road Initiative and supporting Chinese enterprises going overseas. As mining subject matter is specialised, disputes arising from trading and investment in mineral resources are highly technical. The traditional means of judicial proceedings in the settlement of disputes arising in the process of trading and investing in mining resources through courts are limited by the jurisdiction of the region, lack of mining industry experts, long litigation cycle, high litigation costs and other issues. Thus, it is difficult to truly meet the inherent needs of the mining players in the dispute resolution of such disputes arising.
Mr Zhu also commented that Beihai Arbitration Commission has established mediation – arbitration mechanism for mining dispute resolution, in realizing the seamless connection between mediation and arbitration in mining dispute settlement mechanism. In addition, Beihai Arbitration Commission has established a Mining Arbitration Professional Committee, and appointed Academicians Pei Rongfu and Chen Yuchuan as the lifetime advisors of the Expert Advisory Committee. And invited a group of mining industry experts and mining professional legal experts to form a mining arbitrator team, at the same time to set up a special mining arbitration mediation expert pool.
