On 27 June 2017 in Shanghai, ICC and CIETAC jointly hosted a one-day conference featuring presentations by judges, arbitration practitioners and academics. Ellen Pang from DVC was a speaker at the conference.
The conference, entitled “International Arbitration Without Frontiers: Best Management of Dispute Resolution for the Belt and Road” featured opening remarks by Mr. Weihua Shen, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Commission of Commerce. The conference also featured keynote speeches from the President of ICC Mr. Alex Mourre, and Secretary General of CIETAC Chengjie Wang. The audience was also able to hear from Professor Anselmo Reyes SC from the University of Hong Kong, Justice Fan Qian from the Shanghai Higher People’s Court, Justice Sorawit Limparangsri, President of the Thailand Supreme Court and Dr. Joao Ribeiro, Head of UNCITRAL Region Centre for Asia Pacific sharing their views on alternative dispute resolution from a judicial perspective.
DVC’s Ellen Pang spoke on a panel examining recent developments in the practice of ICC and CIETAC. Her co-panelists included Ms. Helen Shi, Partner of Fangda Partners and ICC Court Member, Mr. Lijun Cao, partner of Zhonglun Law Firm and HKIAC Council Member, and Ms. Yani Jiao, Secretary General of CIETAC Shanghai.
The speakers considered the latest developments in institutional arbitration. Ms. Shi and Ellen Pang discussed the new Expedited Procedure introduced in the 2017 ICC Rules, which requires disputes under US$2 million to be resolved by a sole arbitration irrespective of parties’ agreement. Under the Expedited Procedure, an award would be rendered within 6 months from the date of the Terms of Reference, unless an extension is granted by the ICC Court. The new rules also require the ICC Court to give reasons concerning appointment, challenge and replacement of arbitrators when requested by the parties.
These new developments represent the latest efforts of arbitration institutions to promote transparency and efficiency in international arbitration and facilitate dispute settlement between Belt and Road countries.
