KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Sabah Branch has appointed Grace Chaw as its legal counsel to provide legal advice and protect the interests of MCCC.
MCCC Sabah Branch President Michael Chin said Chaw specialises in dispute resolution practice in litigation and arbitration.
“Her dispute resolution practice predominantly relates to building and construction, commercial and corporate, intellectual property, environmental and tortious claims. She is also a regular speaker at construction law conferences and a contributor to legal literature.
“Of relevance, Miss Chaw currently serves under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) as an ICC Young Arbitrators Forum (ICCYAF) representative for 2021-2024,” he said in a statement today.
The ICC International Court of Arbitration is an institution for the resolution of international commercial disputes. It operates under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce.
Headquartered in Paris, France, it is the world’s oldest arbitration institution.
Chin said based on Chaw’s professional training in the laws of international investment treaties and international commercial arbitration, she has the expertise to contribute to the affairs of Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) and its members on legal issues relevant to cross-border investments between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China.
He said MCCC and its members can benefit from her expertise and her international role as the ICCYAF for the protection, promotion and liberalisation of cross-border investments.
“I believe that Miss Chaw’s vast experience and knowledge, she will be able to contribute to MCCC and to advance the interests of its members,” said Chin.
He said this while paying a courtesy visit to Chaw’s office to deliver the letter of appointment together with Vice President Michael Pan, Director of Commercial Affairs Lau J. W., Public Relations Officer Louis Su, and Director Edward Tan.
During the courtesy visit, Chaw indicated that she hopes to raise awareness of the availability of international arbitration through the MCCC platform.
The availability of alternative dispute resolution shall increase foreign investors’ confidence to invest in Malaysia.
“Unlike a court judgment which is domestic, an arbitration award is legally binding and enforceable in all New York Convention countries. Currently, 169 countries are state parties to the New York Convention including Malaysia and China.
“Furthermore, bilateral treaties between countries also provide another layer of investment protection from the host states to its foreign investors,” she said.
Chaw read law at Monash University, Australia. She is dual-qualified to practise in Australia and Malaysia.
She is an LLM candidate at the Queen Mary University of London, specialising in International Dispute Resolution (investment treaty arbitration and international commercial arbitration).
Further, she is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb).
Chaw is an independent arbitrator empanelled with the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC).
She also sits as an adjudicator at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) to hear payment claims under the Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act (CIPAA) 2012.
To complement her broad dispute resolution practice, she is also an accredited Mediator with the Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI), the premier independent professional standards body for mediation in Singapore and the region supported by the Ministry of Law in Singapore and the National University of Singapore.
