Hainan International Arbitration Court (HIAC)

The Second Meeting of the First Board of Directors successfully held in Haikou

On May 24, 2021, the Second Meeting of the First Board of Directors of HIAC was successfully held in Haikou. Zhang Yuejiao, Huang Jin, Yin Tian, Liu Jingdong, Zhang Xiaohui, Wang Qi and other domestic directors attended the meeting. Overseas directors Michael Hwang, Benjamin Hughes and Fan Hoi Kit attended the meeting online due to the epidemic. Chairman Wang Xuelin presided over the meeting, and Vice President Lin Ningbo attended the meeting. 

The People's Government of Hainan Province, Vice Governor Yan Xijun (fifth right) met with all domestic Board Members

The People's Government of Hainan Province, Vice Governor Yan Xijun, and the President of the Hainan High People's Court, Chen Fengchao, met with all the domestic directors respectively. Vice Governor Yan Xijun welcomed and thanked the members of the first Board of Directors of HIAC for their support and guidance of the law-governing construction and arbitration in Hainan. He noted that the board members come from different places over the world, have a broad international vision and excellent professional skills, and are all authorities in their respective fields of expertise. Under the guidance of the Board of Directors, HIAC has carried out its work in an orderly manner, especially in the reform of arbitration, and has been in the forefront of the country. The construction of Hainan Free Trade Port is a major decision made by the Central Party Committee with a view to the overall international and domestic development, through in-depth study, overall consideration and scientific planning. It is also amajor measure to demonstrate China's determination to expand its opening -up and actively promote economic globalization. The business environment is the key to the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port. We hope that each expert and scholar will play the role of think tanks around the overall situation of the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, give more valuable advice and suggestions on the construction of law-governing in Hainan Free Trade Port, provide guidance and assistance for the development of international arbitration in Hainan and provide intellectual support for creating a first-class business environment in the world for Hainan Free Trade Port.

President Chen Fengchao of Hainan High People's Court met with all domestic Board Members

President Chen Fengchao said that the meeting held today was very successful. He paid tribute to the dedication of the experts and expressed his gratitude to them for supporting Hainan and attaching importance to its arbitration work. He pointed out that it is very important to establish a high-level international arbitration institution in the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port. HIAC has implemented the spirit of Xi Jinping's "4.13" important speech, followed the decision of the Central Government, upheld the rule of law first, and gathered a group of top experts from home and abroad with strong professional skills and fine academic expertise, who have met the international requirements in terms of personnel structure and other aspects, and are no longer the arbitration court of the past. Arbitration work is inseparable from the work of the court and is twin brothers. The People's Court and HIAC will work together to create a new law-governing environment in Hainan.

At the meeting of the Board of Directors, Chairman Wang Xuelin delivered a welcoming speech to express his thanks to all the domestic directors for coming to the meeting and to all the foreign directors attending the meeting online. He pointed out that the Free Trade Port is the highest level of openness in the world. In opening up to the outside world, Hainan Free Trade Port stands at the forefront. To meet the needs of China's opening up to the outside world and the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, efforts must be made to strengthen the construction of a law-governing, international and facilitated business environment. The law-governing is the best business environment. Arbitration is an important part of the business environment under the rule of law and an internationally accepted dispute resolution mechanism. It has unique institutional advantages and attractions. It plays an irreplaceable role in expanding our opening up to the outside world, promoting international exchanges and building Hainan Free Trade Port. At the first meeting last year, each board member reached a high consensus. They have contributed wisdom and strengthen to promote the development of Chinese arbitration system, and improved the corporate governance mechanism and various systems construction of  HIAC.

The second meeting of the first Board of Directors of HIAC was held by "Online +Offline"

Wang Xuelin reported to the Board of Directors on the work of HIAC in 2020, main problems and work idea for 2021. The report was fully discussed and approved at the meeting. The meeting also considered in turn the final accounts report of HIAC for 2020 and financial budget report for 2021, the internet arbitration rules, the panel of arbitrators and mediators and other documents and proposals. Chairman WangXuelin, president Fan Hoi Kit and vice-president Lin Ningbo respectively explained the relevant documents and proposals. Participating board members expressed profound and original insights on the matters deliberated, conducted full exchange and interaction, and proposed targeted and forward-looking guiding opinions.

The relevant documents and proposals were adopted in principle upon deliberation and voting item by item.

It was agreed at the meeting that, in the past year, the HIAC has, by focusing on the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, accurately grasped the new development stage, thoroughly implemented the new development concepts, fully integrated into the new development pattern, spared no efforts in promoting the development of arbitration services, steadily improved the quality of cases, more improved the internal system construction, continued to strengthen the publicity and promotion of arbitration, increasingly enhanced influence at home and abroad, and achieved significant results in various aspects.

It was emphasized at the meeting that it is imperative to strengthen the research and practice of online arbitration, further improve the internet arbitration rules and charging standards, pay attention to safety and scientificity, and better adapt to the arbitration needs under the new situation. It is imperativeto keep pace with the times, innovate the management of arbitration expenses, so as to adapt to the needs of different types of arbitration activities and provide predictable guidance for the parties. It is imperative to strengthen financial management, improve the financial system construction and promote standardized management in accordance with the principles of keeping expenditures within the limits of revenues, scientific planning and balance of revenues and expenditures. It is imperative to strengthen the training and management of the team of arbitrators and mediators, keep abreast of international advanced practices, strictly control the entry, adhere to high standards, absorb excellent professionals with both ability and integrity and high recognition in the industry, cultivate a number of backbone arbitrators and mediators, and continuously improve the credibility of arbitration.

The meeting pointed out that the HIAC undertakes the important mission and responsibility of providing high-quality legal services on mediation and arbitration and legal support for a law-governing, international and facilitated business environment of the Hainan Free Trade Port. It is imperative to enhance the sense of mission and responsibility, aim at building first-class arbitration institutions, make scientific planning, strengthen the weaknesses, improve the weaknesses, and serve the business environment construction and the reform and opening up of China. It is imperative to work hard on arbitration rules, team building, governance mechanism, internal control management and other aspects, enhance the initiative and creativity, and promote the high-quality development of arbitration work.

The meeting also conducted in-depth discussion and analysis on two issues, namely, "improving the corporate governance mechanism under the leadership of the Board of Directorsof the HIAC" and "optimizing the tax burden of the HIAC in the context of the Free Trade Port", and put forward targeted and practical guiding opinions, which clarified the direction for further deepening the reform and improving internal management.

Chairman Wang Xuelin said in the summary of the meeting that each and every director had expressed very important opinions at the meeting, and we should study and digest such opinions word by word and article by article, conduct special research on some of the issues, and fully absorb and adopt various opinions, so as to improve the text of the relevant documents as soon as possible. According to the decisions and research results of the Board of Directors, we should further reform and innovation, continuously improve institutional management, strengthen team building, improve basic skills, strengthen internal control management and supervision, do a good job in publicity and promotion, deepen international exchanges and cooperation, and promote various types of work of the HIAC to a new level.

Zheng Xuehai, Director ofthe Hainan Provincial Department of Justice, and Zhang Guangqiong, Vice President of the Hainan Law Society, were accompanied by others in relevant activities.

Before the meeting, the members of Board of Directors in China visited Hainan Jinpan Intelligent Technology Co.,Ltd. and Haikou Fuxing City Information Industrial Park to understand the development of intelligent technology and information industry since the implementation of the policy for the Hainan Free Trade Port.