On May 7, 2025, Landing Law Offices successfully hosted the sixth session of its Landing High-End Forum Series under the theme “Strategies and Skills in International Arbitration from a Game Theory Perspective.” The forum was co-guided by the Fudan University Center for Digital Economy and Legal Governance （复旦大学数字经济法治研究中心） and the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law Economic Law School’s Digital Law Research Center（上海政法学院经济法学院数字法学研究中心）.

The event featured Professor Zhanjun Ma, Co-Chairman of the Asia Pacific Institute of International Arbitration（亚太国际仲裁院）, as the keynote speaker. Panel discussants included Mr. Zhen’an Zhang, Partner at Co-effort Law Firm LLP; Mr. Kefeng Yao, Director of Beijing Guobiao Law Firm; and Professor Duoqi Xu, Professor at Fudan University Law School and Director of the Center for Digital Economy and Legal Governance. The forum attracted wide participation both online and offline from legal professionals, corporate representatives, and scholars.

The session was moderated by Ms. Yueqing Li, Senior Partner at Landing Law Offices and Head of the International Investment & Trade Department.

In his keynote speech, Professor Ma emphasized that while international commercial arbitration often appears more flexible and amicable compared to litigation, it is in essence a process of strategic interaction and “game-playing.” He shared his insights on applying game theory to arbitration, covering issues such as the drafting of arbitration clauses, selection of institutions, choice of seat, governing law, hearing venue, arbitration language, and number of arbitrators. In particular, Professor Ma highlighted the importance for counsel to evaluate arbitral institutions from multiple dimensions—including jurisdictional attributes, procedural rules, fee structures, language services, and secretariat support—so as to maximize advantages for their clients.

During the panel discussion, Mr. Zhen’an Zhang, who has served as arbitrator in over 800 international and domestic arbitration cases across more than 65 institutions including HKIAC, SIAC, KCAB, LMAA, and AIAC, shared his extensive experience. He stressed the critical role of standard form contracts in arbitration and offered comparative insights between international and domestic arbitration, as well as practical strategies concerning evidentiary rules.

Mr. Kefeng Yao, Director of Beijing Guobiao Law Firm, also shared his views based on his expertise in internet arbitration. As Secretary-General of the “Internet Plus Intellectual Property Protection Alliance” and President of the Internet Arbitration Institute of the Qingdao Arbitration Commission, he analyzed the recognition and enforcement of international arbitral awards in China and forecasted the development prospects of online arbitration. Mr. Yao noted that internet technology, when integrated into traditional arbitration, offers Chinese legal professionals an opportunity to achieve breakthroughs in this field.

Professor Duoqi Xu emphasized that if every legal practitioner dedicates themselves deeply to their own area of expertise, these individual efforts will ultimately converge into the collective wisdom of the legal community. Such collective strength, he argued, can be transformed into the rule-of-law capacity that supports China’s modernization of governance and the building of a law-based society in the new era.

In conclusion, Associate Professor Jiangang Shang of the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law delivered closing remarks. He congratulated the forum’s success, highly praised the guest speakers’ contributions, and encouraged further exploration and practice in international commercial arbitration. He also expressed appreciation to Landing Law Offices for providing such a high-quality platform for exchange and looked forward to more initiatives of this kind in the future.

With outstanding strength in cross-border legal services, Landing Law Offices boasts more than 160 partners, lawyers, and associates across its headquarters and over 30 domestic offices with solid experience in international practice. The firm provides high-quality services in cross-border investment, international trade, foreign-related commercial litigation, and international arbitration. A large portion of its professionals possess overseas study, training, or work experience, with working languages covering English, Japanese, Korean, German, Spanish, and more. Through close cooperation with numerous foreign law firms, Landing serves clients in dozens of countries worldwide, including many Fortune 500 companies and leading Chinese enterprises. Landing’s dedication, expertise, and professionalism have earned it a strong reputation both domestically and internationally.