ADR HOC International Summer School 2021
BAIAC is proud to be the supporting organisation of ADR HOC’s inaugural international summer school from 12 – 21 June 2021. The online program was highly subscribed by both students and practitioners.
Read moreS.K. Misra Memorial International Mediation and Negotiation Competition 2021
BAIAC is pleased to support the 2nd S.K. Misra Memorial International Mediation and Negotiation Competition, organised by Lloyd Law College, India to be held from 5-7 March 2021.
Read moreBAIAC inauguration of arbitrators, committee members and MoU signing with Chiang Mai University, Faculty of Law
On 28 December 2020, BAIAC held an online event to inaugurate the appointment of new arbitrators, committee members and MoU signing with Chiang Mai University, Faculty of Law.
Read moreBAIAC at the 15th National Mineral Conference and 2020 China Mining Industry Chain Conference, 25 November 2020
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.
Read moreBAIAC Year end cocktail
On 2 December 2019, BAIAC held its year end evening cocktail which was well attended by distinguished guests locally and regionally, amidst heavy downpour. Conducted in a private bar in the Victoria Concert Hall, retired Malaysian Court of Appeal Judge now in private practice, Dato’ Varghese Abraham gave a most enlightening evening talk on his experience dealing with arbitration from the bench to the bar. During the cocktail, BAIAC’s President Prof. Steve Ngo also announced the Rules of Arbitration after extended consultation with various stakeholders and potential users. It also unveiled its inaugural panel of arbitrators and mediators. The Arbitration Rules of BAIAC adopts the UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law) Rules of Arbitration with modifications to include a provision for “Small Claims Procedure” for disputes not exceeding S$100,000. Such procedure provides for abbreviated proceedings. Among others for such proceedings, the arbitral tribunal will be expected to conduct the arbitration for the parties and to provide a draft arbitration award within 60 days from end of hearing. BAIAC will provide a cost efficient fee structure for such proceedings. This is very much in line with BAIAC’s aim of providing alternative arbitration services to small and medium enterprises and also in response to the industry’s common grievance about high cost in arbitration. BAIAC also unveiled its inaugural panel of arbitrators and mediators. With gender and generational diversities in mind, the panel also comprised of senior regional practitioners who are committed to guiding the younger generation of practitioners which includes arbitration luminaries such as Mr Francis Xavier, Senior Counsel, Regional Head (Dispute Resolution Group) of Rajah & Tann, and CIArb’s Global President for 2020; Dato’ Jude Benny, well-known shipping arbitrator and lawyer; Dato’ Varghese Abraham, retired Malaysian Court of Appeal Judge; Ms Chia Yong Yong, Singaporean lawyer, disability advocate and former Nominated Member of Parliament; Mr Rengarajoo Balasamy, veteran mediator and arbitrator; and young arbitration stars such as Mr Shaun Leong, Partner for International Arbitration at Eversheds Harry Elias LLP who previously served in a judicial capacity with the Singapore High Court and Ms Yvette Anthony, Partner, Braddell Brothers LLP. BAIAC looks forward to further engagement with local and regional arbitration practitioners as well as developing the “Resolve in Singapore” proposition through collaborations in the region with other arbitral institutions as well as the public and private sectors.
Read moreParticipation at the annual CCPIT International Commercial & Legal Cooperation Forum, Changsha
BAIAC was invited to participate in the 2019 CCPIT International Commercial & Legal Cooperation Forum in Changsha, Hunan. A major CCPIT event hosted by Changsha city annually, this year it was held from 26 – 30 November 2019. The forum was also attended by representatives from various countries. Representing Singapore at the event was Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law, Mr Edwin Tong. During the visit, BAIAC held various discussions with key stakeholders, including China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Hunan Lawyers’ Association leadership on deepening Singapore-ASEAN-China regional arbitration initiatives.
Read moreInternational Commercial Arbitration Summit, 31 August 2019
SHANGHAI, 31 August 2019 – Beihai Arbitration Commission organised an international commercial arbitration summit in Shanghai attended by Chairman of Beihai Arbitration Commission Mr Zhong Hong, Vice-Chairman of Beihai Arbitration Commission, Prof Ma Zhangjun, Vice-Chairman of Beihai Arbitration Commission, Mr Zhu Jifan and President of BAIAC Prof Steve Ngo. The panel of speakers comprised of Prof Louise Otis and Prof Fabien Gelinas from McGill University, Canada and other distinguished speakers from Beijing and Shanghai. In his presentation, Prof Ngo emphasised on the need for institutions to better understand the needs of arbitration users, for essentially they are the parties who are beset with disputes. The increasingly high cost of arbitration and its complexity are some of the issues that need to be addressed in order to make arbitration, making sense again. During the summit, various issues were discussed including current trend in China and overseas, attracting many good questions as well as responses from the audience. The summit was also broadcasted online and watched by many audience in China and abroad.
Read moreLaunch of BAIAC on 8 August 2019
SINGAPORE – Beihai Asia International Arbitration Centre (BAIAC) was inaugurated on 8 August 2019 witnessed by guests from Singapore and overseas which included China, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Indonesia. In attendence were His Excellency Joseph Del Mar Yap, Ambassador of the Republic of Philippines to Singapore, Mr Duan Chongbo, Secretary (Economic and Commercial), Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Singapore, Dr Aria Wibisono, Counsellor for Economic Trade, Embassy of Indonesia in Singapore, His Honour Justice Dato Dr Hamid Sultan, Court of Appeal, Federal Court of Malaysia and Ms Chua Xin Juan, Director of the Professional Services Programme Office, Ministry of Law, Singapore. In the inauguration speech, founding President of BAIAC, Professor Steve Ngo remarked that Beihai is not unfamiliar to Singapore whereby the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew visited the city 26 years ago in 1993 and was reported by the Straits Times commenting that he was impressed with Beihai’s potential for tourism and trade development, including the harbour. BAIAC is the first international arbitration centre established in Singapore by a Chinese arbitration commission, tapping into China-ASEAN-Singapore connections, which is very much in line with the aspiration of regional people-to-people exchanges for the futherance of arbitration and dispute resolution initiatives. The impetus for the establishment of BAIAC can be attributed to two core factors; costs and enhanced regional dispute resolution efforts. Mr Zhong Hong, Chairman of Beihai Arbitration Commission in his speech mentioned that in 2018 Beihai Arbitration Commission recorded 58,869 cases with a cumulative value of RMB 10 billion. For the first-half of 2019, over 47,000 cases in China have been recorded. He expressed his optimism for the establishment of Beihai’s international centre in Singapore as the city state is already a renown international arbitration venue. During the inauguration, the founding Committee members of BAIAC were announced, comprising of leading arbitration practitioners from China, South East Asia, East Asia and South Asia. Specifically, BAIAC would like to promote generational, gender and geographical diversity through its Committee members and arbitrators.
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