Opening Remarks by Senior Minister of State Law and Transport Mr Murali Pillai SC, at the SIAC Cocktail Reception
Ms Lucy Reed, President of the SIAC Court,
Professors Dr Stephen Kroll, Dr Christopher Kee and Mag. Patrizia Netal, Vis Moot Directors
Ms Gloria Lim, CEO of SIAC,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A. Welcome
1. A very good evening to you.
2. Many of us familiar with the Vis Moots know that the SIAC Rules are being applied in the competitions. This significant milestone coincides with SIAC’s 35th anniversary and Singapore’s Bicentennial – marking 200 years of legal development that has solidified the rule of law, fostered economic prosperity, and established Singapore as a trusted partner in international commerce and dispute resolution.
3. These are milestones that a small and young nation like Singapore cannot take for granted.
4. Indeed, what we have today reflects deliberate planning that began decades ago.
a. The 1986 Economic Committee, chaired by then-Minister of State for Defence and Trade and Industry Lee Hsien Loong – who later became our Prime Minister in 2004 before stepping down in 2024 – recommended establishing Singapore's own international arbitration centre to speed up commercial dispute settlement and develop Singapore as a regional hub for legal services.
b. This recommendation drove Singapore's accession to the New York Convention in 1986 and the enactment of the International Arbitration Act in 1994.
B. Singapore’s Philosophy on Dispute Resolution
5. This foundation enabled us to develop Singapore’s approach to dispute resolution, which is founded on three core principles that reflect our fundamental reality as a small nation whose prosperity depends on international trade
6. First, respect for the rule of law. We believe the rule of law enables all countries, regardless of size, to participate as equals in the global economy. This principle has solidified Singapore’s legal foundations and established our reputation as a trusted hub for international dispute resolution.
7. Second, providing comprehensive options. We created an intentional ecosystem where dispute resolution institutions operate alongside one another - SIAC, SICC, and SIMC. Each institution complements the others to provide parties with appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms.
8. Third, openness to international participation. We made a decision to liberalise arbitration practice, welcoming foreign legal practitioners and institutions, because we believed in global cooperation in dispute resolution.
a. Parties can engage foreign counsel for proceedings before the SICC in certain situations. Foreign counsel are also permitted to represent parties in arbitrations seated in Singapore.
b. We impose no restrictions on parties' choice of governing law or arbitrators, believing that true neutrality means allowing parties the freedom to structure their dispute resolution appropriately.
c. We also invested in world-class infrastructure through Maxwell Chambers, which houses not only Singapore institutions but leading international organisations, such as the ICC Court of Arbitration, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center.
9. These three principles - respect for the rule of law, comprehensive options, and openness - have worked together to build Singapore’s reputation as a trusted dispute resolution hub.
10. More importantly for us, the form of dispute resolution must be exercised in reference to the demands of justice and law, rather than the vocabulary of power and war.
11. Today, Singapore ranks as the second most preferred arbitration seat, after London, according to the 2025 Queen Mary University of London and White & Case International Arbitration Survey. This achievement means a lot to us and you can be assured we will not rest on our laurels.
D. Looking Forward
12. Singapore remains committed to evolving with the international business community’s changing needs.
13. We recognise that future disputes will increasingly involve environmental matters, including climate change, social and governance issues and, technology-related conflicts.
a. The landscape ahead will look very different from what we know today.
b. Technology and artificial intelligence are fundamentally changing how businesses operate, especially in:
i. how contracts are formed and executed, and
ii. also, the nature of disputes that arise.
iii. The rise of digital assets, smart contracts, and AI-driven decision-making creates entirely new categories of commercial disagreements that require fresh approaches to resolution.
14. In response, these fundamental shifts require us to think differently about dispute resolution - not just adapting our existing frameworks but developing new approaches and preparing our legal profession for challenges that didn’t exist a decade ago.
15. In Singapore, we are investing in this future through concrete initiatives: our Legal Innovation and Future-Readiness Transformation (LIFT) programme helps firms navigate AI adoption and change management, while our Future of Legal Profession Committee examines how to prepare lawyers for tomorrow’s challenges. Through these efforts, Singapore’s vision is to remain a reliable partner where parties can resolve disputes with confidence, supported by a highly-trained profession.
E. Partnership and Collaboration
16. Finally, let me end on Singapore’s commitment to arbitration in particular and to the law in general. Singapore has been working on arbitration since 1986, but as a nation, we are founded through law in 1965 – through a legal document separating ourselves from our neighbour. As a small nation, we rely on rational, moral and legal argumentation to resolve disputes. Any other form and we would be lost even before we begin.
17. Today, in an age of raw power and conflict, all of us who share a commitment to justice and fair play must call out to like-minded partners.
18. And I hope that this session would be a good place to start.
19. Thank you very much for your attention.