On August 7, 2019, the Chinese government delegation led by Assistant Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang attended the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (the Singapore Mediation Convention) in Singapore and signed the Convention on behalf of China. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Assistant Secretary-General for the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs Stephen Mathias attended the signing ceremony and delivered speeches. The UN Secretary-General Guterres sent a congratulatory video. Delegations from 67 countries and regions participated in the signing ceremony, and 46 countries including China, the US, South Korea, India, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Iran, Malaysia, and Israel signed the Convention.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his speech that the Singapore Mediation Convention has further improved the mediation system for international commercial dispute resolution in addition to litigation and arbitration. The signing of the Convention by many countries demonstrates the international community’s consensus on the important role of multilateralism. The United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said in the video that the Singapore Mediation Convention strengthens the international rules of law in commercial dispute resolution and highlights the value of multilateralism. The Assistant Secretary-General for the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs Stephen Mathias said that the Singapore Mediation Convention is a support of multilateralism, and the success of the signing ceremony is a victory for multilateralism. The Convention will promote the development of the mediation system, promote the settlement of disputes of commercial entities, and maintain good relations to promote the development of international trade.

The Singapore Mediation Convention was drafted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law for four years, and was reviewed and approved by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018. The Convention aims to resolve the cross-border implementation of settlement agreements reached by international commercial mediation. In the resolution to adopt the Convention, the UN General Assembly stated that mediation has unique value in the friendly settlement of international commercial disputes. The Convention will complement the existing international mediation legal framework and contribute to the development of harmonious international economic relations.

The Convention has received high attention and positive comments from the industry circles as well as industries including arbitration, mediation and law in China. Domestic organizations such as China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, Shanghai Mediation Center, Hong Kong Mediation Center, Institute of International Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and related law firms participated in the signing ceremony.

(All information published on this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only.)