Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong SC to Visit China to Mark SIAC Milestones and Deepen Singapore–China Legal Cooperation

24 May 2026 Posted in Press releases

1.          Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong SC will make an official visit to China from 24 to 29 May 2026.

2.          Spanning four cities – Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Shenzhen – key highlights of the visit include the opening of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) Beijing Representative Office, SIAC’s second representative office in China, and the 10th anniversary celebration of the SIAC Shanghai Representative Office.

3.          Minister Tong will pay a courtesy call on Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng, with whom he co-chairs the Singapore-Shanghai Comprehensive Cooperation Council (SSCCC). He will also meet Ren Hongbin, Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

4.          The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) shares a longstanding and substantive relationship with CCPIT. Both sides co-organise the Singapore-China International Commercial Dispute Resolution Conference annually, alternating between Singapore and China. As announced at the 21st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation meeting, co-chaired by Gan Kim Yong and Ding Xuexiang, MinLaw and CCPIT have also expanded cooperation beyond dispute resolution into areas such as international trade policies and compliance, intellectual property management, the digital economy, and the green economy.

5.          Minister Tong said: “The opening of SIAC’s Beijing Representative Office and the 10th anniversary of its Shanghai office reflect the strong and growing legal and commercial ties between Singapore and China. Through platforms such as the SSCCC and our longstanding partnership with CCPIT, we have deepened cooperation across a broad range of areas that support businesses and cross-border commerce. We look forward to building on these partnerships in the years ahead.”

6.          During the visit, Minister Tong will also meet the Shanghai International Arbitration Centre (SHIAC) and the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA), both of which are exploring plans to establish a presence in Singapore, joining other leading international arbitral institutions already based here. He will also speak at events organised by SIAC, the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), as well as Singapore law practices.

7.          Minister Tong will be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Law.

MINISTRY OF LAW

24 MAY 2026

Last updated on 24 May 2026