ASEAN Legal Alliance (ALA), a network of law firms operating in ten ASEAN member countries, has signed an MoU with the Shanghai Arbitration Court of International Shipping (SACIS) that gives the ASEAN Legal Centre a foothold in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

The ASEAN Legal Centre, Shanghai, will be headed by Huo Zhengmei, SACIS president and deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Arbitration Commission, and will be located at Shanghai Maritime Centre in Pudong. 

ALA’s Steve Ngo will serve as the Centre’s deputy director. The Shanghai branch will also operate as ALA’s China secretariat, supporting the current secretariat in Singapore.

“The formation of the ASEAN Legal Centre in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone is to facilitate trade and commerce between China and ASEAN. The legal systems in ASEAN are diverse and complex, and with the Centre, we hope to be able to assist investors from China going into ASEAN with effective and practical legal support,” said Zhengmei.