11 January, 2018
The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) has appointed Dr. Ling Yang to the position of Deputy Secretary-General and Chief Representative of the Shanghai Office.
Prior to joining HKIAC, Ling was an Associate Professor at the East China University of Political Science and Law where she taught international arbitration for more than eight years. During 2017, Ling was a visiting scholar at Boston University School of Law. Ling has published widely on issues of international dispute resolution and arbitration in China, and currently serves as Executive Editor-in-Chief for the Shanghai International Arbitration Review. Ling has also been appointed as arbitrator. She obtained a PhD in 2009 and an LLM in International Law in 2006 from Wuhan University. In 2008, she was visiting scholar at the University of Aix-en-Provence Marseille III.
Ling will manage HKIAC's Shanghai Representative Office which has been in operation since November 2015 and represents the first office of an international arbitral institution to be established in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. Ling will spearhead several new initiatives for 2018, such as the inaugural HKIAC Lecture in Mainland China; a series of training workshops; outreach programs to academic institutions; and establishing the first women’s arbitration club in Mainland China.
Ling has already spoken at events on behalf of HKIAC and organised HKIAC’s Fourth Arbitrator Training Series in Shanghai on Drafting Arbitration Awards, as well as HKIAC’s Arbitration Clause Negotiation Workshop in Chengdu. Ling was warmly welcomed to her new position by the arbitration community in Shanghai at a reception on 12 December 2017.
Sarah Grimmer says, “We are very excited to have Ling join our team. As a recognised scholar in international arbitration and arbitration in China, she will be integral to our training and outreach programs in Mainland China and elsewhere, particularly those jurisdictions receiving significant outbound Chinese investment."
In 2017, a record number of new arbitration matters were filed with HKIAC, of which just over one third involved a party from Mainland China. With Hong Kong set to play a key role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, HKIAC expects its China-related caseload to continue to grow.
Professor Xiaohong Liu, President of the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law says, “Ling has a very good understanding of international arbitration in the Mainland and internationally. Her research and teaching background will certainly be beneficial to HKIAC. I have no doubt that Ling will continue to strengthen HKIAC’s work.”
Professor Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler, Partner of Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler and Professor of Law at the University of Geneva, who serves with Ling on the editorial board of the Shanghai International Arbitration Review, says, “Ling’s appointment by HKIAC is excellent news. Ling is a very promising young arbitration specialist, and there is no doubt that the HKIAC’s Shanghai office will be in very able hands.” Professor William (Rusty) Park of Boston University echoes Kaufmann-Kohler’s sentiments: “Ling Yang will prove an excellent choice for the HKIAC. In fine proportion, she combines learning, common sense, and a penchant for serious work.”
