Background and History

ASEAC is based on a close cooperation between Europe and Asia which is in particular also demonstrated by its founding history.

The idea for ASEAC dates back to 2004 when the Hamburg and Tianjin Bar Associations agreed to cooperate.

In 2007 discussions about the initiation of an arbitral institution became more specific and on numerous occasions, the supporting institutions and individuals discussed the details of the project.

In 2008, ASEAC (at that time CEAC – Chinese European Arbitration Centre) was officially founded and registered. ASEAC commenced its business activities on 18th September 2008.

In 2023, the members of the Asian European Arbitration Association (ASEAA) resolved on the rebranding of CEAC into Asian European Arbitration Centre (ASEAC) in order to reflect ASEAC’s broader scope and in order to further increase its reach for disputes among European and Asian parties now more broadly.

No regions trade more between themselves as Asia and Europe. This trend is expected to keep evolving, as the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) countries sign more trade agreements and tighten their bonds.

The 21 ASEM Asian partner countries together accounted for 36% of EU total international trade in goods in 2020. More specifically, they were the destination of 27% of exports from the EU and the origin of 45% of EU imports. The 21 Asian partner countries are: Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

In recent years the European Union with its 27 members entered into various trade agreements with Asian countries, such as the Free Trade Agreements with the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and the Pacific States (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Solomon Islands) as well as the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan. Further EU Trade Agreements are currently being negotiated such as trade agreements with India, Indonesia and New Zealand.