On August 22-23, the 2025 Asian Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Symposium, jointly organized by the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR), Guangxi University, and the Nanning Arbitration Commission (Nanning International Arbitration Court), was successfully held at GXU. Attendees included Liang Hemin, Deputy Director General of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Xia Guoen, Vice President of Guangxi University and Sundra Raju, Chairman of AIADR.

Liang Hemin emphasized that Guangxi is building an international cooperation hub for artificial intelligence, and with the growing demand for foreign-related commercial dispute resolution, the symposium’s theme of "Intelligent Resolution in the East" is highly significant. He proposed four recommendations on improving the system for resolving foreign-related commercial disputes: strengthening institutional frameworks to promote regional legal exchanges and cooperation. Guangxi has currently introduced multiple foreign-related regulations and plans, and will deepen legal exchanges with key regions such as ASEAN in the future; innovating platforms and institutions to create new heights of open services. The Nanning Arbitration Commission has been selected as a pilot for cultivation, and the next step will focus on promoting the physical operation of the China ASEAN Commercial Arbitration Cooperation Center; injecting new momentum into legal services through technological innovation. Accelerate the development of intelligent platforms, build databases and legal models; providing intelligent support for dispute resolution with a high-quality talent team, and cultivate high-quality composite foreign-related legal talents through regular thematic training and the establishment of a foreign-related legal talent pool.

Xia Guoen, on behalf of the school, welcomed the attending guests. He pointed out that in the face of the opportunities and challenges of resolving disputes in Asia, a symphonic resonance between legal wisdom and technological strength is needed. GXU will integrate resources and talent advantages from disciplines such as law, and continue to make efforts in academic innovation, platform construction, and digital empowerment, contributing greater strength to promoting regional legal cooperation and providing talent and intellectual support for strengthening the legal foundation of regional economic, trade exchanges and cultural exchanges.

Sundra Raju noted that AIADR is a non-profit institution established in 2018 dedicated to promoting the development of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and serving multiple regions. The symposium, themed "Intelligent Resolution in the East: Orchestrating the Future Symphony of Dispute Resolution in Asia’s Digital Wave," aimed to explore the integration of digital technologies with traditional dispute resolution methods. He expressed hope that the participating experts and scholars would actively exchange ideas to jointly advance the development of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in Asia.

Tengku Maimun, former Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia and President of the ASEAN Law Association, was invited to deliver a keynote speech. During the two-day symposium, experts and scholars engaged in thematic speeches, roundtable discussions, and Oxford-style debates, focusing on the transformative impact of technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) on alternative dispute resolution in Asia and globally. They collectively explored new pathways for dispute resolution in the digital era.

The conference built bridges for cooperation to create a first-class market-oriented, rule-of-law-based, and internationalized dispute resolution environment, achieving a series of practical outcomes. These included the signing of 22 international cooperation agreements by multiple institutions such as the ASEAN Law Association, China-ASEAN Commercial Arbitration Collaboration Center, Guangxi University, and the Nanning Arbitration Commission (Nanning International Arbitration Court), establishing new collaborative relationships in cross-border dispute resolution, legal exchanges, and talent cultivation. The Nanning International Arbitration Court Mediation Center was inaugurated, and AIADR’s Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) system was launched, expanding Guangxi’s platforms and channels for participating in international commercial dispute resolution. Additionally, Guangxi’s first internationally certified International Mediator Training Program, authorized by the International Mediation Institute, was implemented, enriching the professional talent pool in international dispute resolution and providing strong support for the standardization and professionalization of international mediation work.

It is reported that this symposium is the first large-scale academic exchange event in the mediation and arbitration field held in Guangxi since the signing and enactment of the International Mediation Convention in Hong Kong on May 30 this year. It is also an important initiative by our university to actively respond to innovations in international arbitration and mediation mechanisms and to promote legal exchanges between China and ASEAN. The event holds positive significance for our university’s integration into the in-depth collaboration framework between China and ASEAN, as well as Asian and European countries, in the field of international dispute resolution.

Over 300 participants, including heads of mediation and arbitration institutions, experts and scholars from universities and research institutions, and legal practitioners from 14 countries and regions, attended the event.