On February 2, 2024, the Xi’an Arbitration Commission (XAAC) and the Borneo International Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (BICAM) of Malaysia held a MOU signing ceremony for cooperation online. The event was attended by XAAC Secretary-General Xu Wenxin, Deputy Head of the XAAC Case Acceptance Office Li Yaming, XAAC Director of the Arbitration Research Centre Liu Hong and President’s assistant of the Shaanxi Free Trade Area Arbitration Court Zhang Xia from the Chinese side, and BICAM Chairman Sri Datuk Seri Seri Panglima David Wong Dak Wah, BICAM Manager Teoh Shu Ling and BICAM Chairman’s assistant Sharifah Shazuwin from the Malaysian side.

At the ceremony, Secretary-General Xu Wenxin introduced basic information of the XAAC, significant progresses achieved in recent years in terms of the improved system of selecting and appointing arbitrators, revised arbitration rules, and other efforts of adapting to the development of arbitration business. He also expressed XAAC’s willingness and desire of strengthening its cooperation and exchange with international counterparts including BICAM in the context of economic globalization.

BICAM Chairman David Wong Dak Wah said that, as the first arbitration institution located in Sabah of Malaysia, BICAM has been raising public awareness in applying arbitration and mediation in dispute resolution, and trying to improve the efficiency by adopting online case filing and voice-to-text systems in the proceedings. It hopes to learn from other arbitration institutions, and the MOU signed has set up a firm foundation for the cooperation with XAAC in China.

During the ceremony, XAAC and BICAM both agreed to conduct their exchange and cooperation in such respects as jointly organizing conferences and meetings, training arbitrators and conducting publicity events, while mutual field visits to XAAC and BICAM at the time of convenience might be the first thing for the two parties to be implemented in the near future.

Through this MOU signing event, XAAC is able to expand exchange and cooperation in international arbitration, and strengthen the communication, collaboration and resource sharing with international counterparts, especially BICAM from Malaysia, thus enhancing its capacities of settling cross-border civil and commercial disputes through high-quality and efficient arbitration services for the clients.