Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon: Opening remarks at the launch of Charting New Waters: Singapore International Commercial Court After 10 Years

(b) Second, the SICC has, from its inception, set out to pioneer innovative systems, processes and practices that are geared towards addressing the particular and growing complexity and cost of transnational commercial disputes. The book highlights many of these innovations, including the Technology, Infrastructure and Construction List,³ and the Integrated Appropriate Dispute Resolution Framework that was developed in collaboration with the Singapore Mediation Centre.⁴  

(c) Third, as a supervisory court, the SICC has strengthened the place of international arbitration within the transnational system of commercial justice, by facilitating the enforcement of awards and preventing re-litigation, while at the same time upholding standards of natural justice that are vital to safeguard the legitimacy of arbitration.⁵  In the words of another colleague, Justice James Allsop, in the second chapter of the book, “the complementarity of, and symbiotic relationship between, arbitration and commercial courts … is an essential feature of how the two institutions co operate to make a system of dispute resolution, a system of justice, work”.⁶

(d) Finally, the SICC supports a stable rules-based international legal order – which is an existential necessity for a small city-state like ours – not only through its jurisprudence but also through its partnerships with other commercial courts. The most notable recent development is our collaboration with the Kingdom of Bahrain to establish the Bahrain International Commercial Court (or “BICC”), as discussed in Chapter 6 of the book by Professor Jan Paulsson, the President of the BICC. We have also recently established the International Committee of the SICC to hear certain appeals from the BICC, and, potentially, other prescribed jurisdictions in the future. This transnational appellate framework holds tremendous potential for us to develop and shape a clear, consistent and convergent body of jurisprudence to support cross-border commerce and at the same time to lay strong foundations for the continuing development of that transnational system of commercial justice. 

5. With rich discussions on topics such as these, I am confident that the book will be of interest and relevance not just to judges and practitioners, but also to other legal professionals, policymakers and the wider public, both in Singapore and beyond. 

6. I warmly congratulate and commend the co-editors, my colleague Justice Philip Jeyaretnam and Mr Francis Xavier SC, for coordinating this entire effort and bringing this ambitious project to fruition. I also express my deepest appreciation to all the contributing authors, comprising our Singapore and International Judges, and eminent practitioners. Despite their considerable professional demands, they have each produced a work of the highest quality, and we are truly grateful. Last but certainly not least, my heartfelt thanks as always to the team from the Singapore Academy of Law and the SICC, for their tireless efforts leading up to the launch of the book today. 

7. Thank you all very much. It is now my great pleasure to invite the Minister to deliver his keynote address.