Justice Philip Jeyaretnam: Closing remarks at the launch of Charting New Waters: Singapore International Commercial Court After 10 Years

Launch of Charting New Waters: Singapore International Commercial Court After 10 Years

Closing Remarks

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

Justice Philip Jeyaretnam

President, SICC

Judge of the High Court

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon

Mr Edwin Tong SC, The Honourable Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs

Fellow judges and colleagues

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

1. Tonight’s launch and the panel just concluded illustrate how the SICC combines the strengths of different traditions of legal expertise into a new whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

2. The book’s contributors include Singapore commercial judges, international judges, Singapore practitioners and foreign lawyers. This is a remarkable combination of perspectives and expertise that echoes and encapsulates the SICC’s unique features: first its combination of Singapore judges, international common law judges and international civil law judges, and secondly the openness of the SICC to talent wherever it hails from – Singapore lawyers and registered foreign lawyers. Building on these features and on this openness, the SICC attracts disputes that have no other connection with Singapore, and anchors cross-border trade and investment generally.

3. The book achieves four separate objectives within the compass of one slim volume: it describes the philosophy behind the SICC, it outlines its history and achievements, it provides a handbook and a guide for lawyers appearing in the SICC, and it looks to the future. I thank all the contributors and have been greatly heartened because all of them repay close reading. However, I must record my deep special appreciation to Francis Xavier SC as my co-editor, who when I asked him if we could achieve all four of the objectives I have just mentioned, responded with an unequivocal “Can, lah!” He was perhaps fortified in his immediate response by the presence by his side of Joel Soon, who has been tireless in his efforts to see this book to completion. For my part, I was able to be so bold in setting that high bar, only because right behind me was the indomitable Crystal Tan, our divisional registrar who together with the whole Registry team really made sure the book came together on time with no compromise on quality and content. My thanks go too to Yeong Zee Kin the CEO of SAL and to Elizabeth Sheares at Academy Publishing.

4. The title of the book is Charting New Waters. This phrase nods to the pioneering nature of the SICC. The SICC in 2015 may be compared to a novel design of sea-going vessel on a voyage of discovery rounding a stormy cape for the first time and having to draw its own sea charts as it sailed. We can conclude today’s launch firm in the conviction that in 2025 the SICC is a convenient and effective place to litigate large complex cross-border commercial disputes and conduct cross-border restructuring. And to complete the metaphor the SICC has now rounded the cape, is fully sea-worthy and ready to lead the way no matter what storms lie ahead.