Agreement Signed to Strengthen Cooperation Between International Arbitration Centers in Saudi Arabia and China
Published Date: 07/09/2023
As SCCA participates in China Arbitration Week 2023
In another step toward strengthening international relationships with major, world-renowned arbitration centers, the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) on the sidelines of China Arbitration Week. It was SCCA’s first time participating in the event, held September 4–8, 2023.
The signing ceremony took place in Beijing on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, during the proceedings of the 2023 China Arbitration Summit and the 3rd Belt and Road Arbitration Institutions Forum, in which SCCA participated as a supporting entity and a keynote speaker.
The memorandum of understanding was signed on behalf of SCCA by CEO Dr. Hamed Merah, and on behalf of CIETAC by Mr. Chengjie WANG, CIETAC Vice Chairman & Secretary-General.
The MOU provides for cooperation between the two organizations to provide support for the arbitration cases administered by the organizations, in particular by providing hearing rooms, nominating arbitrators from each center’s roster to the other organization as needed, exchanging functional expertise, and seconding staff as needed.
The MOU also establishes a channel for the two organizations to cooperate in promoting arbitration and other means of alternative dispute resolution as effective tools for resolving commercial disputes; to exchange information on arbitration, trade, and investment; and to do research and hold professional development programs on the practice of ADR. The signing of this agreement comes in the context of burgeoning relationships between Saudi Arabia and China, as reflected in the remarkable growth in the volume of trade and investment between the two countries.
On the sidelines of China Arbitration Week 2023, the SCCA delegation visited the CIETAC headquarters in Beijing. There, the SCCA delegation, led by the CEO, met with the CIETAC delegation led by the General Secretary. They reviewed the state of the ADR industry in Saudi Arabia and China and ways to enhance cooperation between the two organizations within the framework of the MOU they signed.
During the 2023 China Arbitration Summit and the 3rd Belt and Road Arbitration Institutions Forum, SCCA participated as a supporter of the summit and a speaker at sessions. The CEO participated in the first session, which covered the latest developments in ADR from an international perspective. High-level dignitaries from renowned international arbitration centers participated in the event and addressed the latest tools in the industry for resolving business disputes.
During the session, Dr. Merah said that SCCA is one of the leading arbitration centers in the Middle East and North Africa region, and it is always aligned with the latest applications and practices in the industry. This is reflected at the regulatory level in the 2023 update of its Arbitration Rules, which entered into force at the start of May. It is also reflected in the procedural level in the package of arbitration and mediation services it offers, taking into account the best the industry has to offer, to put SCCA in the vanguard of regional arbitration centers and make it the preferred regional option for dispute resolution by 2030.