The Comparison of Asian International Arbitration Rules will be of great value in three distinct areas of international arbitration practice. First, in assisting clients in selecting arbitration rules and drafting arbitration provisions for their international commercial contracts. For example, where a client seeks to include a provision governing a specific procedural issue in an arbitration clause, the chart provides easy reference to the different provisions used in the leading sets of international arbitration rules. Second, the chart will assist in developing arguments on procedural issues in connection with representation of clients in international arbitration proceedings. Finally, comparison will facilitate evaluation by scholars, practitioners and the institutions themselves of the desirability and effectiveness of particular provisions in light of comparable ones
Compiling this chart was a challenging process, primarily because the various sets of international arbitration rules deal with specific procedural issues very differently. Additionally, one of the most difficult tasks in compiling this chart was deciding which sets of Asian international arbitration rules to include in the chart in light of space and formatting limitations. Ultimately various factors were considered in deciding which sets of rules to include in the chart. The China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission ("CIETAC"), Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre ("HKIAC"), Japan Commercial Arbitration Association ("JCAA"), Korean Commercial Arbitration Board ("KCAB"), and Singapore International Arbitration Centre ("SIAC") rules were included as leading sets of institutional Asian international arbitration rules. Other Asian institutional arbitration rules are not included simply for reasons of manageability and space. The arbitration rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade ("UNCITRAL") were included as the preeminent set of ad hoc international arbitration rules, which are frequently used by parties in Asia as well as by Asian arbitration organizations, such as the HKIAC, as the basis for their institutional arbitration rules.
The structure of this chart follows the structure of the second edition of our chart on international arbitration rules, in part, to facilitate the use of the two charts together. Like the second edition of the chart on international arbitration rules, this chart contains an index of topics with page references to assist in locating subjects in the rules, and the full texts of the sets of arbitration rules are included in an appendix for ease of reference.
