Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration launches Chinese-language rules

Chinese is now the third language in which the SCCA's rules are available, alongside Arabic and English. The institution said the move is intended to make its services more accessible to Chinese-speaking users and to support businesses involved in cross-border transactions between China and the Gulf region.

Chun Pin Yap, a Saudi Arabia-based construction advisory expert at Pinsent Masons, said: “The publication of the rules in Chinese, alongside Arabic and English, signals the SCCA's ambition to attract a broader international user base and to position itself as a preferred institution for cross-border disputes involving Chinese parties.”

“Chinese companies are now deeply embedded in the region's economy, particularly across infrastructure, construction, energy, mining, logistics, manufacturing and technology projects, sectors that historically generate a substantial volume of arbitration disputes. Many of these projects are generating increasingly sophisticated contractual and dispute-resolution arrangements that are potentially premised upon SCCA.”

“While Chinese parties have traditionally tended to favour institutions with which they are already familiar, the availability of the SCCA Rules in Chinese may help lower barriers to adoption and increase confidence when negotiating dispute resolution clauses.”

Saudi Arabia and China have strengthened commercial ties in recent years, particularly as the kingdom pursues its Vision 2030 economic diversification programme.

Chun Pin said: “The move reflects the growing commercial links between Saudi Arabia, the wider GCC and China, including investment associated with China's Belt and Road Initiative and China's role as a major trading partner for Gulf states.”

“For Chinese contractors, developers, investors and state-owned enterprises operating in Saudi Arabia, access to a Chinese-language version of the rules may make it easier to understand procedural requirements, assess dispute risk and engage stakeholders who are more comfortable working in Chinese,” he said.

The translated arbitration and mediation rules are available on the SCCA's website.