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Welcome to International Arbitration Asia.

“Asia as a whole is ahead of the game”.

he quote by a renowned practitioner encapsulates the sentiments of the international legal community towards the developments in Asia’s cross-border commercial dispute resolution environment. In the past decade, in line with the Asia’s increased economic activity and significant bilateral and multilateral trade treaties, the region has witnessed a dramatic evolution. Much has been made of the ascension of the Asian commercial dispute resolution landscape and of its trade-transforming potential, in what has been described as the region’s “golden age of arbitration”. However, such developments in Asia can hardly be said to be following any single trajectory across the disparate jurisdictions in the region.

Certain countries have embarked on tentative steps towards legalising the privatisation of commercial dispute resolution; others regularly revamp sophisticated arbitration and mediation laws in line with global best practices. Some regional dispute resolution institutions race to innovate, striving to fulfill perceived gaps in the market; while others splinter, forming independent brands embroiled in fierce competition. Meanwhile, national courts across Asia render significant decisions in a multitude of forms and languages every week, relating to matters ranging from the enforcement of mediation clauses to setting aside applications and tribunal jurisdiction challenges.

Yet, dispute resolution scholarship from Asia, and in particular from emerging jurisdictions in the region, remain relatively scarce. To this end, International Arbitration Asia is an integrated multimedia platform intended to provide timely and incisive commentary and further the knowledge of international arbitration, mediation and cross-border dispute resolution as practiced in this part of the world. The aim of International Arbitration Asia is to facilitate greater discussion and research on these fields and to enable emerging voices – particularly from developing jurisdictions – to be heard on a global stage. Through partnerships with leading practitioners, judges, in-house counsel, academics and dispute resolution institutions, International Arbitration Asia reviews dispute resolution developments and jurisprudence emanating from jurisdictions across Asia.