TOWARDS A WORKABLE APPROACH TO REGULATION OF TRIBUNAL SECRETARIES: AN ASIAN PERSPECTIVE

Recent years have witnessed exponential growth in the number of arbitrations seated and administered by arbitral institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. Asia has been increasing its influence in the global ADR market; today, many countries in the region have firmly marked themselves on the international arbitration map as major players. Headquartered in Beijing, the CIETAC maintains the momentum of the sharp increase in terms of caseload, with 3615 cases administered in 2020 alone, crossing the championship leaderboard among all arbitral institutions. A hallmark of international arbitration is that different jurisdictions and arbitral institutions approach things differently, and the tribunal secretaries’ practice is no exception. This note explores the current position of the arbitral institutions in respect of tribunal secretaries, with a brief overview on Asian practices and a closer look at the two biggest Asian arbitral institutions, China International Economics and Trade Ar