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“More than 250 CAFTA lawyers have registered. Hurry, limited Places Left!”

Lawyers Without Borders: Rising demand for arbitration lawyers in the CAFTA region

The 5th CAFTA Legal Forum (registration at www.cafta2011.com) is one event which will greatly benefit litigation and alternative dispute resolution lawyers, for at least two reasons.

First is the fact that China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), Kuala Lumpur Regional Arbitration Centre (KLRCA), Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the major municipal arbitration commissions in China all share a common denominator – they are located within the China ASEAN Free Trade Area and together accounts for a substantial proportion of international arbitration cases heard worldwide in 2010. International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration’s new Secretariat for cases in Asia (especially mainland China) underscores the burgeoning arbitration caseload in the region which has largely developed below the radar screens of litigation and dispute resolution lawyers in Asia.

1^st BREAKING NEWS

5^th China ASEAN Forum on Legal Cooperation And Development

Around the globe, economic recovery from the 2008 global financial crisis is fragile and tenuous.  With the US recovery in disarray, the Euro zone debt crisis spreading, a Japan shaken by the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami and the Middle East locked down in riots, the threat of yet another global recession looms.  Amidst the crashing stock markets, silver linings are few and far in between.

The 5th China-ASEAN Forum on Legal Cooperation and Development will be held in Malaysia from 26th – 27th September 2011 at Shangri-la Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. This event is co-hosted by Malaysian Bar, China Law Society, ASEAN Law Association of Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA).

INTRODUCTION
China has a population of 1.3 billion. The ASEAN countries have a combined population of 580 million. ASEAN-China trade has reached US$298 billion as at 2010 and this figure is steadily increasing. Foreseeing the significance of this sometime ago on 4th November 2002, ASEAN member states and China signed the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which by 2010 establishes a China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) concerning trade in goods by 2010 in original ASEAN member states and 2015 for newer ASEAN members.