Limitless Love – The Beijing Arbitration Commission Visits the Students and Teachers of its Donated School in Sichuan

　　On June 15, 2009, y invitation from the Sichuan Province Education and Athletic Department, Secretary General Wong Hong Song, Beijing Arbitration Commission (hereinafter “BAC”) Arbitrators Li Hong Ji, Wang Jialu and BAC staff members traveled to Yu Guan Elementary School, located in Sanhe Township of Jiang You City, to attend the ceremony of presenting the school facilities to students and teachers. Yu Guan Elementary School was constructed and donated by the BAC.

　　Assistant Township Head Chen Xiao Xiao hosted the ceremony. Assistant Jiang You City Political Chairman Zhang Rui Guang, officials from the Jiang You City Education Department, Chairman of Mian Yang Arbitration Commission He Xian Pu and Secretary General Huang Qian Jun, the BAC group, and the construction enterprise northern regional representative Zhang Chun Fa, among others, attended the ceremony.

　　Secretary General Wang gave a speech entitled “Love’s Giving”, in which she expressed, “This school is the fruition of the BAC, Beijing Third Construction Limited Company, Beijing Realistic Construction Management Company, Mian Yang Arbitration Commission, and the City of Jiang You, Education Department and other relevant department’s collaborative efforts. The school is the culmination of everyone’s ‘love’, a realization of ‘the good’ in mankind. The school holds our love and hope for the students and teachers.”

　　Arbitrator Li, representing arbitrators in general, spoke of how moved he was by the students’ essays filled with love posted on the classroom walls. “The essays made us feel the teachers’ unconditional love as well as the students’ beautiful and healthy spirit. Watching the student’s innocent smiles also made us realize that our work is not enough. In the face of the endless giving of the teachers and the determined efforts of the students, our visit to Sichuan has been an educational experience – an experience in love!”

　　Assistant Chairman Zhang, representing local officials, expressed the city’s gratitude. He said, “The BAC’s generosity fully expressed the loving nature of the entire BAC organization as well as the traditional virtue of mutual assistance in Chinese society. The BAC’s actions have made it possible for us to see the possibility of a better tomorrow, to see the hope of the continued development of education in Jiang You City, The educators of Jiang You will pass on the BAC’s love, the students of Jiang You will study well, repay society with a loving heart, and contribute to the development of our country with a spirit of responsibility.”

　　To express its continuing love and care of the students and faculty of the elementary school, the BAC entrusted the Mian Yang Arbitration Commission to purchase a “Loving Heart” backpack for each student. The BAC also prepared commemorative watches for teachers and outstanding students as prizes. The staff of the Mian Yang Arbitration Commission, using their own spare time, carefully selected and put together each backpack filled with supplies according to each student’s age and grade level so that each child received a gift that was pretty, appropriate, useful. Beijing Third Construction Company also presented the school with 3600 RMB donated by its employees.

　　After the ceremony, the students and faculty performed “A Grateful Heart” in sign language. Everyone became teary at the sight of the students in silent prayer, gesturing with the arms in expressing, “to let the sky know that I do not accept defeat!”

　　The Yu Guan Elementary School is the first school construction to be put into use since resuming the construction of education facilities after the Sichuan earthquake.

　　 Aside from the ceremony, on June 14, 2009 in Mian Yang, Secretary General Wang and BAC Arbitrator Wang Jia Lu held a seminar entitled, “Arbitrator’s Professional Ethics and Special Responsibilities” for the staff of Sichuan Province’s ten arbitration commissions, as well as other legal and financial academics and professionals. Attendees totaled over 100 people. The BAC also gifted the commissions’ own judicial decisions compilation and arbitrator training materials.

(By Lili Jiang)

2009 Asia-Pacific Regional Arbitration Group (APRAG) Conference was held in Seoul, South Korea in June 2009

　　2009 APRAG Conference co-hosted by Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB) and Korean Council for International Arbitration (KOCIA) was held in Seoul on June 21-23, 2009.

　　The Committee Meeting was held on June 21, 2009 and discussed two major issues. The first is to discuss the issue of applying for membership of APRAG agency. After discussion, the Committee unanimously agreed the Arbitration Association of the Republic of China (AAROC), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution (KCDR), and Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIARB) to become members of the Asia-Pacific Regional Arbitration Group (APRAG). The second is the Term-change of the Committee. After the discussion of the Committee, Seung Wha Chang, the professor of Seoul National University and Jae Moon Doh, the president of Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB) were elected as the chairmen of a new Committee. There are 8 vice-chairmen of the new Committee, of which include the Secretary-general of the BAC– Wang Hongsong, deputy director and secretary-general of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) – Yu Jianlong, the chairman of Australian Center for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA) – Doug Jones, the director-general of Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA) –Kosuke Yamamoto and Menon Sundaresh, the chairman of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) –Michael Moser, the vice-chairman of APRAG –Shishir Dholakia, the chairman of Brunel Arbitration Committee – Colin Ong, and etc.

　　The seminar was held on June 22-23, 2009, with the theme of “Best Practices of International Arbitration for Asia”. The conference was divided into eight sessions, which are: Preliminary and Pleading Stages, Hearing and Post-Hearing Stages, Perspectives of Transnational Institutions, Asian Arbitration Practices under the Common Law Jurisdiction, Asian Arbitration Practices under the Civil Law Jurisdiction, Best Practices of Asian Investment Arbitration, Adopting Best Practices of International Arbitration for Asia: Desirability and Feasibility, and etc. The secretary-general of BAC participated in the discussion of “Asian Arbitration Practices under the Civil Law Jurisdiction” and her title of speech is “Arbitration in China”. Her speech presented the latest situation and development trend of arbitration in China and the continuous exploration and innovation in constructing diverse dispute resolution mechanisms of the Arbitration Committee to the participants with the latest data and live charts.

　　After the conference, the secretary-general together with the participants including the director-general of Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA), the council member of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) World Business Law Institute – Professor Yasuhei Taniguchi, the chairman of London International Court of Arbitration – Professor Jan Paulsson, the director of London International Court of Arbitration – Mr. Adrian Winstanley, the chairman of the ICC International Court of Arbitration – Mr. John Beechey, the deputy secretary-general of the ICC International Court of Arbitration – Mr. Simon Greenberg, the secretary-general of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) – Mr. Su Guoliang, and the director-general of Taiwan Arbitration Association – Mr. Li Nianzu made an in-depth friendly conversation on the development and innovation issue of arbitration.

　　This conference has aroused great attention in the arbitration community, legal community and business circles of Asian-Pacific Regions, the representatives, senior arbitrators, lawyers, corporate senior legal counsels and other personnel engaged in arbitration practices, totally over 300 people from the arbitration agencies of more than 10 countries and regions, such as China, USA, Australia, UK, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan and etc. attended the conference and made a number of cutting-edge and thoughtful questions in connection with international commercial arbitration practices, which have left a very deep impression on participants.

（By Hongshun Lee and Xi Chen）