African Center for international arbitration

An interview with Zhang Zhijie, president of the African International Arbitration Center, by The Times of Malawi 

Both the President of the Malawi Law Association and the Minister of Justice stated that the country had made significant progress in developing international arbitration law, which had brought the country's legal framework into line with the National Arbitration Model Law, the model law promotes the application of arbitration in the settlement of international commercial disputes, ensures the recognition and enforcement of arbitration agreements and foreign arbitral awards, and strengthens national commitment to international standards and best practices.The Government of Malawi has approved the registration and establishment of the African International Arbitration Centre initiated by the government of China.

Zhang Zhijie, chairman of the African International Arbitration Centre, was interviewed by the times by Malawi. Chairman Zhang Zhijie answered a series of questions. Explain what an African International Arbitration Centre is and why you want to establish an international arbitration centre in Malawi.To enable the country to consolidate the foundations of its economic and social development, the Chinese government is committed to promoting the development of social services and calls for special attention to the development of “Belt and Road” countries at home and abroad. The Chinese embassy in Malawi also indicated that it will actively promote the development of international arbitration in Malawi so that Malawi will become a venue for international arbitration in Africa.

What would be the impact of the African International Arbitration Centre on Development Investment in Malawi? The Communist Party of China has just held the third plenary session of its 20th Central Committee and formulated a National Strategy for strengthening the rule of law in foreign affairs. In the future, whether the investment is safe and China's arbitration legal system will play a decisive role.We will promote long-term business exchanges and cooperation between the legal communities of China and Malawi to achieve complementary functions and resource advantages and jointly enhance the level of international legal services. Promote the entry of Chinese and international arbitration law into Malawi and improve the investment environment in Malawi.

Since the establishment of the African International Arbitration Centre, the 2024 has invested 10 million Kwacha scholarships in the Faculty of Law of the University of Malawi for the development of arbitration personnel, which will improve teaching conditions and help students in need to successfully complete their studies, encouraging outstanding students to make continuous progress and providing social assistance to students set a precedent.

We hope to promote judicial exchange programs between China and Malawi to achieve better integration. We plan to collaborate with the Faculty of Law of the University of Malawi to train in-service graduate students.

We hope that the construction of the centre will be combined with the development of the Malawi Arbitration Law to help create a favourable legal environment, it also strives to provide high-quality arbitration services and dispute resolution channels to Chinese and foreign companies, including those on the African continent, as well as to countries participating in the Belt and Road.

The rules of the African International Arbitration Centre have been completed and experts are being organized to revise the arbitration rules in accordance with the Malawi Arbitration Act. In order to ensure the fairness, professionalism and efficiency of the arbitration, the arbitration centre adheres to the principle of professionalism and the background of internationalisation, select Advisory Committee members and arbitrators from all over the world with high standards and strict requirements.

The members and arbitrators of the expert advisory committee have engaged well-known experts, scholars and senior lawyers from domestic and foreign law, arbitration, economics, finance, real estate construction, engineering and other related professional fields. The arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations and the arbitration rules of the center.

The African International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) successfully 2024 a dispute over a construction and renovation contract in June. With the agreement of both parties, we adopt a simple and quick method of arbitration. From filing the case to mediation by the arbitral tribunal, the case was concluded in less than a week, and the parties shook hands and were quite satisfied. The contract was continued, saving resources for arbitration and litigation while significantly reducing costs for the parties. This is the correct practice for arbitration institutions to choose mediation or arbitration for filing a case.

The establishment of the African International Arbitration Center is of great significance for improving the effectiveness of the implementation of the reform and opening-up strategy. To attract foreign investment, promote the rational allocation of judicial resources, and strengthen the protection of the public and investors. This is not only a requirement for the development of the legal environment in Malawi, but also a necessary step for the internationalization and standardization of the market in Malawi.