On 3 February 2026, the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) and the South China International Arbitration Center (HK) (SCIAHK) jointly hosted the SCIA Spring Reception for International Arbitration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the Riyadh International Dispute Week (RIDW). At the seminar, Dr. Liu Xiaochun, President of the SCIA and Executive Chairman of the SCIAHK, delivered a welcome address highlighting SCIA and SCIAHK's role as a bridge connecting China and the Middle East, connecting civil law and common law. The following is an excerpt from the address.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon!
It is my great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to each of you at today's seminar, jointly hosted by the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) and the South China International Arbitration Center (HK) (SCIAHK).
We are truly honoured to be joined by more than 270 distinguished dispute resolution professionals—including SCIA arbitrators, legal practitioners, in-house counsels, and corporate executives—from over 50 jurisdictions around the world.
As we know, cross-border commercial activities inevitably involve divergent legal norms and transactional risks. Market participants worldwide urgently need a trusted and neutral platform through which to prevent legal friction and resolve commercial disputes efficiently. SCIA serves precisely as such an indispensable bridge, fulfilling this mission in two principal respects.
First, SCIA is a pivotal bridge between China and the Middle East, forging strong links between Eastern and Western business communities. As many of you may already know, SCIA was founded in 1983 in Shenzhen—China's first special economic zone and a principal gateway for foreign investment and trade into the Chinese mainland—at the outset of China's reform and opening-up. Its establishment marked the beginning of China's modern international arbitration system.
In 1984, SCIA became the first arbitration institution in China to include overseas arbitrators on its panel. In 1989, an arbitral award rendered by an SCIA tribunal became the first Chinese arbitral award to be enforced overseas under the New York Convention. Last year, SCIA handled 14,873 arbitration cases, involving a total amount in dispute of RMB 154.34 billion, or USD 22.16 billion. To date, SCIA’s arbitration and mediation services have served parties from 146 countries and regions, including 18 countries in the Middle East.
The 2025 International Arbitration Survey published by Queen Mary University of London recognized Shenzhen as one of the world's five most preferred arbitral seats and ranked the SCIA Arbitration Rules among the world's ten most preferred sets of arbitration rules. Over the past four decades, SCIA has developed into a leading venue for resolving commercial disputes involving Chinese and Middle Eastern parties.
In recent years, investment and trade between China and the Middle East have continued to expand rapidly. In 2024, total trade between China and Arab countries reached USD 407.4 billion, and China remained the largest trading partner of Arab countries for many consecutive years. Amid deepening economic integration, growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty has made cross-border disputes increasingly complex and heightened the demand for neutral and culturally sensitive dispute resolution services.
Looking ahead, we firmly believe that international arbitration and mediation will play an increasingly important role in supporting investment and trade relations, particularly commercial exchanges between China and Middle Eastern economies.
Second, SCIA also serves as a unique bridge between civil law and common law traditions. SCIA benefits from the exceptional geographical advantage of the integrated Shenzhen–Hong Kong region. Shenzhen, on the Chinese mainland, operates under a civil law system, while the Hong Kong SAR has a mature common law jurisdiction. Together, they create the rare coexistence of two legal systems within a single integrated economic region.
To provide better dispute resolution services to parties engaged in cross-border commerce, SCIA has developed three approaches to bridging the divide between civil law and common law.
The first is its international governance structure. In 2012, SCIA became the first arbitration institution in the world to establish a corporate governance structure under dedicated statutory legislation. Under the Ordinance on the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, at least one-third of Council members must come from jurisdictions outside the Chinese mainland. Today, nine of our fifteen Council members come from eight overseas jurisdictions, including civil law jurisdictions, represented by Roberto Azevêdo of Brazil, former Director-General of the WTO, and common law jurisdictions, represented by Sir William Blair of the United Kingdom.
The second is our globally diverse panel of arbitrators. Also, pursuant to the Ordinance, at least one-third of SCIA arbitrators must come from jurisdictions outside the Chinese mainland. We currently have 731 overseas arbitrators from 130 countries and regions, including 35 arbitrators from 18 Middle Eastern countries. Some not only chair SCIA tribunals in cross-border commercial disputes, but also serve as professional mediators at the China Import and Export Fair—the Canton Fair, the world's largest comprehensive trade fair—facilitating amicable settlement of international trade disputes for businesses around the world.
The third is our pioneering "Twin Cities, Two Institutions" framework. In 2019, SCIA established SCIAHK under Hong Kong law, with an independent governance structure, an independent panel of arbitrators, and independent arbitration rules based on the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. Operating across two jurisdictions with distinct legal traditions, SCIA and SCIAHK provide cross-border disputing parties with differentiated procedural options—an institutional design that is truly unique worldwide.
In summary, SCIA is a multidimensional bridge connecting Eastern and Western business practices, civil law and common law systems. We sincerely invite all of you to join us in further strengthening this bridge, whether as arbitrators, mediators, expert witnesses, or legal counsels engaged in cross-border dispute resolution.
Thank you once again for attending today's seminar. We also warmly welcome you to explore the innovative city of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, a world-renowned legal hub.
