On the afternoon of January 16, 2026, Gulou District successfully held the Jiangsu–ASEAN Legal and Business Integration Promotion Conference and Platform Unveiling Ceremony. Approximately 150 participants gathered, including the former director of the Ministry of Justice’s Research Office, other officials from the Ministry and relevant provincial and municipal departments, district leaders, guests from Hong Kong and Macao, prominent scholars, and representatives of banks, businesses and lawyers. They included 王公义, former director of the Ministry of Justice’s Research Office and former editor-in-chief of China Justice; 刘世虎, deputy director of the Arbitration Division of the Ministry’s Public Legal Services Administration; 孙辙, vice president of the Jiangsu High People’s Court; 熊杰, vice chairman of the Jiangsu Federation of Industry and Commerce; 郭兵, second-level inspector of the Jiangsu Department of Justice; 李鹏, director of the Nanjing Bureau of Justice; 唐福华, first-level researcher of the Nanjing Investment Promotion Bureau; 马占军, Co-President of the Asia Pacific International Arbitration Chamber; 赵磊, research fellow at the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; and 王子元, president of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce in China. Together, they discussed plans for integrating legal and business services in Gulou and charted a new blueprint for openness and cooperation.
APIAC
Part.01
Platform Unveiled and Representative Office Established: A New Chapter of Substantive Operations
At the conference, the Jiangsu–ASEAN Legal and Business Integration Service Platform was officially unveiled. As the province’s first comprehensive ASEAN-oriented platform integrating legal and business services, it was jointly developed by the Gulou District Bureau of Justice, Investment Promotion Bureau and Yijiangmen Subdistrict, together with the Nanjing Zijinshan International Commercial Mediation Institute and the APIAC (Singapore) Jiangsu Representative Office. By integrating legal, commercial and financial resources, the platform establishes a one-stop cross-border service system that directly addresses urgent needs for legal services, compliance management and dispute resolution in Jiangsu–ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, providing professional, international support for businesses expanding overseas.
At the same time, the APIAC (Singapore) Jiangsu Representative Office was officially launched. This marks the first permanent representative office of an overseas arbitration institution introduced into Jiangsu Province, serving as an important pilot in accelerating the development of high-quality foreign-related legal services. The establishment of the office is expected to strengthen international commercial arbitration cooperation, enhance the influence of foreign-related legal services, and promote the development of an arbitration service system that integrates Chinese characteristics with international rules.
At the same time, the Asia Pacific International Arbitration Chamber (Singapore) Jiangsu Representative Office commenced operations. As the first permanent representative office of an overseas arbitration institution introduced into Jiangsu Province, its establishment is an important initiative in the province’s efforts to accelerate the development of a pioneering zone for high-quality foreign-related legal services. It will help strengthen international commercial arbitration cooperation, enhance the influence of foreign-related legal services, and promote an arbitration service system combining Chinese characteristics with international rules.
Part.02
Multifaceted Agreements Build an End-to-End Service System
Four rounds of cooperation agreements were signed, covering foreign-related arbitration, commercial mediation, financial services, rule-of-law collaboration and regional coordination. The APIAC (Singapore) Jiangsu Representative Office reached cooperation agreements with the Jiangsu Provincial Association for Overseas Industrial Development, Nanjing Chamber of International Commerce and Gulou District Association of New Social Strata to establish a cross-border dispute resolution exchange mechanism. APIAC and the Nanjing Zijinshan International Commercial Mediation Institute signed agreements with the Nanjing branches of Bank of China and China Construction Bank to strengthen mutual support between law and finance. The Gulou District Bureau of Justice joined forces with the law schools of Southeast University and Nanjing Audit University to promote legal talent development and the sharing of practical resources. The Gulou District People’s Government signed an agreement with the Alliance of Jiangsu Chambers of Commerce in ASEAN to jointly expand opportunities for Jiangsu–ASEAN economic and trade cooperation.
Part.03
Thematic Discussions Explore New Paths for Economic and Trade Cooperation
In the second half of the event, three experts delivered thematic presentations on compliance risks for businesses expanding overseas and arbitration cooperation mechanisms, with in-depth professional analysis of the new Arbitration Law: 马耀添, council member of the China Law Society, Hong Kong barrister, Justice of the Peace, Silver Bauhinia Star recipient and APIAC Arbitrator; 涂广建, professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Macau’s Faculty of Law; and 马占军, APIAC Co-President.
The subsequent roundtable, themed “Building New Future-Oriented Mechanisms for Cooperation on International Economic and Trade Rules,” was moderated by 杨尉苑, assistant to the APIAC Co-President, Vice President of its Hong Kong Arbitration Center and director of the Global Secretariat. 于海纯, dean of the Shenzhen Institute of the University of International Business and Economics; 赵磊, research fellow at the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; 黄善端, deputy secretary-general of the Qianhai Belt and Road Legal Services Federation; 车捷, president of the Jiangsu Lawyers Association; and 陈乃蔚, vice chairman of the Shanghai Commercial Mediation Center, engaged in in-depth discussions and offered recommendations for enhancing the platform’s functions and future development.
The unveiling of the Jiangsu–ASEAN Legal and Business Integration Service Platform not only establishes a solid bridge of rule of law for Jiangsu–ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, but also demonstrates Gulou District’s firm commitment to empowering high-quality development through the rule of law and engaging globally through openness.
Looking ahead, APIAC will work with all parties to help the platform integrate more high-quality resources and continuously improve its cross-border legal and business service system. By strengthening international commercial arbitration cooperation and promoting alignment and mutual recognition of legal rules, it will provide lasting momentum for Jiangsu to become a globally connected hub for two-way openness, thereby contributing to economic integration and commercial prosperity in the Asia Pacific region.
