The Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA) is delighted to announce that it has entered into a Cooperation Agreement with the China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC) to promote maritime arbitration as a means for the effective resolution of maritime disputes.

The Cooperation Agreement was signed on 13 November 2018 at the SCMA-CMAC Inaugural Joint Seminar by Mr Goh Joon Seng, Chairman of the SCMA and Dr Chen Bo, Deputy SecretaryGeneral of CMAC. The signing was held at Maxwell Chambers in Singapore and witnessed by Mr Liu Xiao Dong, Chief Representative of the China Council For The Promotion Of International Trade (CCPIT) and Mr Kenneth Chia, Executive Director of the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF). The Inaugural Joint Seminar titled “Maritime Arbitration in a Rising Asia: The Singapore and China Experience” featured Dr Chen Bo, Deputy Secretary-General of CMAC and Mr Lawrence Teh, Senior Partner at Dentons Rodyk, Singapore and Head of the SCMA Promotion Committee, and other distinguished speakers.

Under the Cooperation Agreement, SCMA and CMAC will work together to promote Singapore and China as two important seats of maritime arbitration through joint conferences and programmes. The collaboration will also see SCMA and CMAC work together to promote SCMA and CMAC arbitration as an effective means of resolving maritime disputes. Both institutions will, upon request, recommend candidates with the appropriate experience and integrity to be considered for empanelment in each other institution’s panel of arbitrators.

Dr Chen Bo, Deputy Secretary-General of CMAC, said “I would like to express my sincere thanks to all in making this Cooperation Agreement a reality. The signing of this agreement is a significant milestone in our ongoing collaboration and we are delighted to formalize and deepen the friendship with SCMA. We look forward to working together with SCMA to achieve the deliverables contained in this MOU and explore new areas of co-operation in our effort to provide efficient and high-quality arbitral services to Belt and Road Initiative countries in the context of a rising Asia.”.

Mr Goh Joon Seng, Chairman of SCMA, said “We are very excited to renew our friendship with CMAC. Our first Memorandum of Understanding with CMAC was signed in 2009 when our respective institutions were under the management of SIAC and CIETC respectively. This MOU reaffirms the bond of friendship between our institutions, and we look forward to working together with CMAC to promote maritime arbitration in Singapore, China, and along the Belt and Road economies.”

Reference: scma.org.sg