International Commercial Arbitration in Asia and the Choice of Law Determination

The article essentially deals with the choice of law process associated with three principal aspects of applicable laws in international commercial arbitration, namely, the law governing arbitration agreements, the law governing arbitral procedure and the law governing the substantive merits of the dispute. This research is of significance as these different aspects of arbitration (the agreement, the procedure and merits of the dispute) are commonly subjected to different laws. As a precursor, the introductory part of this article discusses the evolution and present position of international commercial arbitration in the region. The following chapter sets out the basic interaction between private international law and international commercial arbitration, as well as an overview of the choice of law process, which by and large is treated as the essential stage of a conflict of laws methodology. This section of the article gives a brief sketch of the conflict of laws system in ascertaining the applicable laws relating to the three elements of an international arbitration process, placing a focus on different approaches adopted by some of the more important arbitral-legal systems in Asia. As a disclaimer, the other two important questions of private international law, jurisdiction and enforcement of foreign awards, are not part of this discussion.