It is a great pleasure for me to contribute a foreword to this book. Arbitration in the Asia-Pacific region has been a central interest of mine for over two decades. I have been involved as an arbitrator, teacher and administrator. Furthermore, the three authors are persons well known to me and I have observed the development of their careers in international arbitration with great interest.

There are now many books on international commercial arbitration. What distinguishes this work from others in the field is its regional perspective. The development of international arbitration in Asia has been quite spectacular. Singapore and Hong Kong now rival London, Paris, Geneva and New York as major centres of international commercial arbitration. The number of arbitrations in south Asia, south-east Asia, east Asia and China is rapidly increasing. Thus Asia is developing as a centre for services including dispute resolution services as well as an economic powerhouse.

This book is written primarily for students of international arbitration in Asian universities and for lawyers who have a practice or interest in arbitration in Asia. It presents, within a broad compass, an overview of the principal aspects of international commercial arbitration. True to its focus, each topic is illustrated by reference to arbitration laws, rules, institutions and secondary writings in the region. The book is much more than a brief overview of international commercial arbitration. Each topic is examined in depth and the text is written in a clear and attractive style.