The webinar entitled “Dispute Prevention And Resolution on The Belt & Road”, hosted by the Asian Institute for Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR), was held online on 23 September, 2020. The seminar was moderated by Datuk Prof. Sundra Rajoo, AIADR President, joined by Dr. Li Hu, Deputy Director of CMAC, AIADR Council Member, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Founding Partner and Head of International Arbitration, Construction and Energy Groups of Zulficar & Partners and Mr. Philip YANG, Honorary Chairman of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), AIADR Pioneer Honorary Fellow. 

Belt and Road Initiative is one of the largest infrastructure and investment projects in history with the aim of improving regional integration, increasing trade and stimulating economic growth. As the Belt and Road Initiative involves extensive cross-border and commercial investments, the dispute prevention and resolution mechanism are under quest to support the initiative especially in the present time of turmoil. In this webinar, the esteemed speakers shared their views on the dispute prevention and resolution mechanism suited to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Dr. Li Hu said that in international arbitration, the site of arbitration is very important. Generally speaking, countries or regions with justified arbitration laws and judicial friendly environment are more conducive to dispute resolution. In order to effectively resolve a large number of international disputes under the Belt and Road initiative, an authoritative and fair international arbitration mechanism needs to be established. He emphasized that the entry into force of the Singapore Mediation Convention creates a very favorable environment for the development of international mediation, together with litigation and arbitration building a diversified dispute resolution mechanism. Among them, however, arbitration will continue to be a major dispute resolution upon its features and advantages. Finally, he introduced the latest development of CMAC under the Belt and Road initiative and addressed the importance of collaborations among ADR institutions, for the purpose of providing fair, timely and effective dispute resolution services under the Belt and Road Initiative. 

The seminar concludes that establishment of a treaty-based ADR mechanism is a great option for belt and road disputes prevention and resolution to further integrate different legal systems. In the field of ADRs, a long-term legal cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative should be built under the premise of multilateralism and ensure the equal participation of all BRI countries and regions. In addition, cultivation and reservation of international legal professionals and establishing Belt and Road talent pool of legal experts, who are specialized in international law and international trade rules with English-speaking ability, will benefit the establishment of the Belt and Road international commercial dispute resolution mechanism and institutions in the long run.