The 5th Singapore-China International Commercial Dispute Resolution Conference Successfully Held in Singapore

Singapore, October 24, 2025 – The 5th Singapore-China International Commercial Dispute Resolution Conference was successfully held in Singapore. This conference was jointly organized by the International Commercial Dispute Prevention and Settlement Organization (ICDPASO), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), and the Singapore Ministry of Law (MinLaw).

Mr. REN Hongbin, Chairman of CCPIT, and Mr. Edwin Tong SC, Minister of MinLaw, attended and delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. Mr. REN Hongbin highlighted that since the two countries established diplomatic ties 35 years ago, China and Singapore have continuously deepened their traditional friendship. The Conference represents both a concrete implementation of their All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership and a practical measure to enhance bilateral economic and trade cooperation. CCPIT stands ready to collaborate with MinLaw in deepening coordination, promoting digital and intelligent empowerment, and strengthening the rule of law to advance high-quality development in international commercial dispute resolution. Mr. Edwin Tong SC underscored the dual significance of the Conference, marking both its fifth edition and the 35th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic relations. He emphasized that in an increasingly fragmented world, collaboration between like-minded partners is crucial. Building upon the long-standing friendship, Singapore and China are expected to further strengthen their practical cooperation in legal sector.

The conference brought together senior legal practitioners, leading enterprise representatives, and distinguished scholars from both countries. They engaged in multi-dimensional and in-depth discussions on three topics, including enhancing efficiency through procedural innovation in dispute resolution, AI as a potential dispute in dispute resolution, and ethics in dispute resolution.

Mr. Jason CHIA, Secretary-General of ICDPASO, served as the speaker for the third panel on “Ethics in dispute resolution”, sharing insights on how ICDPASO is building an ethics-led, one-stop dispute prevention and settlement mechanism. He pointed out that the forefront of dispute resolution practice faces numerous ethical challenges, including voluntariness of the parties, impartiality and neutrality, balance between confidentiality and transparency, integrity and professional conduct. In response to these challenges, ICDPASO integrates ethical principles into its institutional positioning, rule design, and one-stop dispute prevention and settlement mechanism. Furthermore, ICDPASO actively participates in global governance as a member of the B20 Integrity & Compliance task force and holds Category A liaison status in several Technical Committees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), forming a distinctive paradigm for ethical development. Relying on its platform characteristics and service capabilities, ICDPASO aims to build consensus on ethics and jointly establish fair, transparent, and efficient dispute prevention and resolution mechanisms.

During this conference, CCPIT and MinLaw jointly signed the Joint Declaration on Cooperation in Promoting International Commercial Dispute Prevention and Resolution. As a supporting institution, ICDPASO, together with seven other institutions, including the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)，China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC), CCPIT Commercial Legal Service Center, Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA) and Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (SIDRA), signed the Response to the Joint Declaration. ICDPASO is committed to strengthening collaboration with all parties to jointly build a fair, transparent, and efficient mechanism for the prevention and resolution of international commercial disputes, as well as a stable and reliable business environment.

Mr. YU Yi, Director General of Legal Affairs Department of CCPIT, and Mr. Colin Chow, Deputy Secretary (Policy) of MinLaw, delivered closing remarks.