Located on the landmark skyscraper in Qianhai, the SCIA Tower, the new headquarters of the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) provides an impressive sea view, overlooking the 5.5-kilometer-long highway bridge linking the booming city in South China with Hong Kong. As China’s first arbitration institution established in South China, including Hong Kong and Macao, in 1983, the SCIA now possesses influence that extends far beyond the region. According to the SCIA, the total amount in dispute of arbitration cases it accepted in 2022 hit RMB 127.2 billion ($17.47 billion)— compared with RMB 16.5 billion in 2017 and RMB 3.9 billion in 2012 — the highest in Asia and top three in the world among its peers. Roughly one-third of the total amount, or RMB 42 billion, belonged to international arbitration cases. So far, the arbitration and mediation services of SCIA have been extended to 140 countries and regions. Describing it as a “pleasantly surprising ‘report card’”, An Xin, vice president of SCIA, told reporters in Shenzhen recently that the SCIA is gaining more trust from the market as an increasing number of Chinese and foreign companies have chosen the SCIA for arbitration over the years, and amounts involved were markedly augmented as well. In one of the cases several years ago, an investment dispute arose between Chinese and US companies, involving an amount of over RMB 13 billion, An recalled. The case, which was later famed for being the largest dispute amount in the history of Chinese arbitration, impressed the vice president a great deal. Due to the absence of an arbitration clause in the initial contract, the...