Fri 12 November 2021
By Hanna Jez
Herbert Smith Freehills China International Business and Economic Law (CIBEL) member Associate Professor Kun Fan recently presented on ‘Digitalization of Dispute Resolution in China’ at the 2021 Nordic-Asia Forum for International Economic Law in Copenhagen on 11 November.
The annual Nordic-Asian Forum for International Economic Law is organised by the Study Hub for International Economic Law and Development (SHIELD) with the aim of connecting leading scholars and practitioners through discussing key developments in global economic regulation and governance. This year, the conference focused on the opportunities and challenges created by the digitalisation process, with the theme of ‘EU and Asia in the Digitalized World’.
Associate Professor Fan joined an assembly of like-minded professionals who presented at the forum, including experts from China University of Political Science and Law, University of Copenhagen, Harvard Law School, Alibaba Group, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and many more.
Associate Professor Fan discussed the development of digitalization of dispute resolution in China, including online mediation, online arbitration and smart courts, and raised a number of issues for reflection. She noted that the rapid development of court-annexed online mediation platforms raises deeper questions about the role of courts and judges. She also discussed the implications of China’s ambitious plan to build smart courts across the country and to modernise the entire court system across the nation by utilising various technological innovations. Through exploring the questions and queries that come from assessing the digitalization of dispute resolution in China, her presentation aimed to provoke thought and reflection on the issue, and to ultimately encourage the audience to further evaluate the advantages and risks of such a process in the hopes of finding a right balance to allow this technology to serve and impact society in a positive way.
Associate Professor Fan’s research can be found at SSRN and LinkedIn. You can find out more about the Nordic-Asian Forum for International Economic Law here.