Opening Remarks by Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Edwin Tong SC, at the SIAC Cocktail Reception held alongside the Vis East Moot

Ms Lucy Reed
President of the SIAC Court of Arbitration

Ms Gloria Lim
Chief Executive Officer of SIAC

Professor Louise Barrington
Founder of Vis East Moot

Distinguished arbitrators and practitioners

Participants of the Vis East Moot

Ladies and gentlemen

1.                 Good evening, everyone

2.                 It is so good to see all of you, and to be in the presence of a room full of arbitrators, students, practitioners, experts, judges, generally, members of the arbitration community.

3.                 As many of you know, I used to be in practice, like one of you in this community, and I like to think or count myself as still one of you, and I hope that I remain welcomed by the arbitration community.

4.                 The past few days, I am told, have been quite intense for everyone - for the students arguing on cases, sometimes feeling the nerves and anxiety of being on your feet and making your points to the judges and perhaps losing more than a little sleep along the way.

5.                 For the coaches and judges, I want to thank all of you for being the mentors.

6.                 Earlier on, we had a fireside chat, and we spoke about how important it is to continue to nurture talent by mentoring the younger ones that come down the same path that we used to once trod.

7.                 I think it is particularly important that we see a strong showing amongst the judges and the coaches today, who used to be in the very position of these students, who were once junior mooters in these competitions.

8.                 I thank all of you for your presence, engaging with teams around the world, sharing your experience, making the Vis East Moot a much richer learning experience.

9.                 Two weeks ago, I met with the team from SMU and NUS from Singapore, and I told them that the experience will matter a lot more than the result, and I hope that is what we find true for all participants.

10.             Of course, every team would like to win. I mean, we all would like to win. Each time we are in court or in an arbitration, we want to win, and that competition is what makes the moot exciting.

11.             But I think for these competitions, what really matters more is what you gain along the way.

12.             Years from now, I can bet you that you will not remember the legal argument you made. But I am sure you will remember the friendships that you formed, the late nights that you spent huddled, hunkered down, preparing together, the excitement and perhaps the nerves of being on your feet, fielding questions from the judges, and, of course, the rounds that did not quite go as planned. You will find later on in practice that that is actually most of the time in practice – it will not go exactly as planned.

13.             That is why these experiences will build resilience. They will build confidence. I hope that with time, you will also appreciate the networks and the friendship that you have formed, because these friendships and networks will stand you in good stead in years to come. Because arbitration is a global practice, and to be resilient and sustainable in a global practice, you will need a global network of friends that you can count on.

14.             What makes this community so special is really the knowledge and experience that is passed on from one generation to another. Many of the practitioners were once here as students, and now they return as coaches, judges and mentors, inspiring the next generation.

15.             I want to add to the special point about how the SIAC rules are used for this year’s competition, echoing Gloria’s point earlier that this is SIAC’s 35th anniversary. This milestone is aptly marked by the fact that the rules are used for the first time.

16.             Over the years, Singapore has developed a legal environment that is neutral, trusted. We have placed a lot of emphasis on party autonomy, the choices that you make in an arbitration – whether it is choice of counsel, choice of law, where to have your seat of arbitration – all of that is being given primacy in the Singapore system.

17.             But it is the institutions like SIAC, with the practitioners, that help with that legal infrastructure. That’s what is a strong ingredient for the international hub that we see in Singapore.

18.             And behind every institution lies people. and the frameworks alone do not make arbitration work. They do not make occasions like today or the Vis Moots happen.

19.             When we look around this room, we see that community that stands behind each of the frameworks, the infrastructure and the institutions. We see engaged practitioners and experts who have shaped the field, and of course, the students who may one day lead their own practice.

20.             I want to say that wherever your paths lead you, the skills that you are developing right here  – what you are doing, what you have done and will continue to do over the next few days, analysing complex legal problems, advocating, collaborating across cultures, different legal systems – they will all stand you in good stead.

21.             But before those careers unfold, you are still very much a part of this year’s moot. So tonight, I will ask you to leave aside the problem, leave aside the legal analysis for a while, and enjoy the moment, enjoy the experience, and do what I said earlier, build networks.

22.             I like the line that Lucy used at the fireside chat just now. Do not hang around with people that you already know or your friends, much as you like them, but go and meet five people that you do not know. I think that will really be an experience that will define your stay here in Hong Kong in these competitions.

23.             On that note, I wish all of you the very best. As I said, this is a much valuable community, and the spirit and the Esprit de Corps that you have amongst the community is one that I think is very much to be jealously guarded.

24.             I hope that you will continue to grow that spirit as we look at arbitration being a global endeavour, and not just one that is siloed in one jurisdiction or another, but that we can look at collaboration across different, even competing jurisdictions like Singapore and Hong Kong, and looked at us as one plus one having a bigger impact than just two.

25.             Thank you very much.

Last updated on 20 March 2026