Advisory Committee

CRCICA has an Advisory Committee currently consisting of a Chairperson, two (2) Vice Chairpersons, and fourteen (14) members appointed by the Director of the Centre from among the members of the Board of Trustees as well as eminent African, Asian and other personalities specialized in the fields of international arbitration, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms and international trade.

The term of the Advisory Committee shall be four years, which may be renewed once for a similar term, unless otherwise determined due to special circumstances.

The Advisory Committee shall carry out the functions provided for in the Centre’s Arbitration Rules in force as from 15 January 2024 (the Rules) as well as any other functions that may be referred to in the Centre’s future Arbitration Rules, particularly the following:

a. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s decision not to proceed with arbitral proceedings in whole or in part, according to article 6, paragraph 2 of the Rules;

b. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s decision not to proceed with the appointment of any arbitrator according to article 12, paragraph 3 of the Rules;

c. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s decision to accept or reject the Request for Consolidation in accordance with article 50, paragraphs 1 and 6 of the Rules;

d. Deciding on the removal of arbitrators according to article 13 of the Rules via an impartial and independent tripartite ad hoc committee to be composed by the Centre from among the members of the Advisory Committee without disclosing their names to the parties. The decision shall be made by the majority of votes of the members of the ad hoc Committee in writing, and shall be reasoned, final and unchallengeable;

e. Deciding on the removal of arbitrators according to article 8, paragraph 4 of Annex 3 to the Rules (Expedited Arbitration Rules) via an impartial and independent member to be selected by the Centre from among the members of the Advisory Committee without disclosing his or her name to the parties. The decision shall be made expeditiously by the member in writing and shall be reasoned, final and unchallengeable;

f. Deciding on the challenge of arbitrators according to article 14, paragraph 6 of the Rules via an impartial and independent tripartite ad hoc committee to be composed by the Centre from among the members of the Advisory Committee without disclosing their names to the parties. The decision shall be made by the majority of votes of the members of the ad hoc committee in writing and shall be reasoned, final and unchallengeable;

g. Deciding on the challenge arbitrators according to article 4, paragraph 6 of Annex 2 to the Rules (Emergency Arbitrator Rules) and article 8, paragraph 3 of Annex 3 to the Rules (Expedited Arbitration Rules) via an impartial and independent member to be selected by the Centre from among the members of the Advisory Committee without disclosing his or her name to the parties. The decision shall be made expeditiously by the member in writing and shall be reasoned, final and unchallengeable;

h. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s decision to deprive any party of its right to appoint a substitute arbitrator according to article 15, paragraph 2 of the Rules; and

i. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s determination, according to article 45, paragraph 13 of the Rules, of the fees of the arbitral tribunal at a figure higher or lower than that which would result from the application of the tables of fees annexed to the Rules.

lijun

Mr. Lijun Cao

Lijun Cao is a partner and co-head of Zhong Lun’s Dispute Resolution Department. He is licensed to practice law in China and New York State.

Lijun has extensive experience in international arbitration and commercial litigation. Lijun currently represents and advises clients on commercial arbitrations in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and other jurisdictions, as well as lawsuits before various people’s courts in Mainland China. He also handles investment arbitration.

Lijun is also an experienced arbitrator. He sits on the panel of arbitrators of several arbitral institutions, including CIETAC, HKIAC, SIAC, AIAC, KCAB, WIPO, etc. Lijun is a Member of the SIAC Court of Arbitration, a Member of the Advisory Committee of CRCICA, a Vice Chair of the Arbitration and ADR Committee of ICC China, and a Vice Chair of the Arbitration and Lawyer Mediation Committee of the All China Lawyers Association (ACLA).

Lijun has received numerous awards and recognitions from legal media and directories. Since 2014, Chambers Global has continuously ranked Lijun as a “Band 1” international arbitration lawyer. He received the award of “Lawyer of the Year – Dispute Resolution/Arbitration” from China Law & Practice (CLP) in 2014 and 2015, and “Lawyer of the Year-China” by Benchmark Litigation in 2019.

Lijun’s publications include:

  1. “A Guide to the CIETAC Arbitration Rules and Practice”, Oxford University Press, November 2020;
  2. China Chapter, “The Global Damages Review – Edition 4”, The Law Reviews, October 2022;
  3. “Chinese SOEs and Their Investments along the Belt and Road”, Chapter 11 of “Managing Belt and Road Business Disputes: A Case Study of Legal Problems and Solutions”, Wolters Kluwer, April 2021;
  4. China Chapter, “Investment Treaty Arbitration 2021”, Law Business Research, November 2020;
  5. “Harmony in Dispute: Influence of Chinese Culture on Chinese Arbitration”, Chapter 1 of “International Arbitration: When East Meets West: Liber Amicorum Michael Moser”, Kluwer Law International, October 2020.