2017年3月9日，解决投资争端国际中心（ICSID）仲裁庭就韩国安城住房株式会社（“安城公司”）诉中华人民共和国投资争端案（Ansung Housing Co., Ltd. v. People's Republic of China, ICSID Case No. ARB/14/25）发布裁决，驳回安城公司全部仲裁请求。

这是中国作为东道国被诉的第二起国际投资仲裁案件，也是其中完成组庭并作出裁决的第一起案件。商务部条约法律司对此表示：“仲裁庭在投资者的诉讼时效、最惠国待遇条款的适用范围等重要法律问题上支持了中方立场。中方对仲裁庭的条约解释和最终裁定表示欢迎。”

中伦律师团队由争议解决部合伙人孙华伟和曹丽军律师带领，在合伙人蒲凌尘律师大力支持下，全程协助商务部处理本案各项工作。Dentons Europe LLP的巴黎办公室与中伦共同代理了本案。

本案于2016年12月14日开庭，由首席仲裁员Lucy Reed（美国籍）和边席仲裁员Michael Pryles（澳大利亚籍）、Albert Jan van den Berg（荷兰籍）组成的仲裁庭经过一天审理，当庭即宣布中国政府胜诉。在2017年3月9日公开发布的书面裁决中，仲裁庭认定安城公司的仲裁请求超过时效，并依据中韩BIT的明确措辞，驳回安城公司依据最惠国待遇条款挽救时效丧失的主张。据此，仲裁庭支持中国提出的ICSID规则41（5）异议，认定安城公司仲裁请求“明显缺乏法律基础”。同时，仲裁庭裁决安城公司承担全部仲裁费用以及中国政府75%的律师费和支出。

ICSID仲裁规则41（5）是ICSID在2006年推行的在仲裁程序早期快速驳回案件的举措，旨在给予东道国就投资者的滥诉及早提出反对的机会。在以往二十多起类似的东道国异议申请中，根据公开消息，仅有两起案件的仲裁庭驳回了投资者的全部请求。

中伦的境内外仲裁业务一直广受赞誉，连年获得各主要法律媒体的高度评价。2016年3月，中伦曾获得环球仲裁评论（GAR）颁发的 “国际仲裁年度引人瞩目中国律师事务所奖”（Chinese International Arbitration Practice that Impressed in the Past Year）。

Zhong Lun Wins Dismissal for China in 

Its First Investment Arbitration

On March 9, 2017, the Tribunal constituted by International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”) in Ansung Housing Co., Ltd. v. People's Republic of China (ICSID Case No. ARB/14/25) rendered an award dismissing all of Ansung’s claims with prejudice.

This is the second international investment arbitration brought against China and the first in which a Tribunal was constituted and a final award delivered. The Department of Treaty and Law of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) made a statement noting “the Tribunal supported the position of China on the issues of the limitation period for the investor’s claim, the application and scope of the Most-Favorable-Treatment (“MFN”) clause and other important legal issues. China embraces the Tribunal’s interpretation of the treaty and its final ruling.”

Partners Huawei SUN and Lijun CAO, with strong support from partner Lingchen PU, led the Zhong Lun team to advise MOFCOM on every aspect of this case throughout the whole proceedings. Zhong Lun worked with the Paris Office of Dentons Europe LLP as co-counsel.

The First Session of the case was held on December 14, 2016. After the one-day hearing, the Tribunal, consisting of the president Lucy Reed (U.S.) and co-arbitrators Michael Pryles (Australian) and Albert Jan van den Berg (Dutch), delivered an oral ruling immediately after deliberation, in favour of China. In its Award released on March 9, 2017, the Tribunal found Ansung’s claim to be time-barred and not protected by operation of the MFN clause. In reaching the latter conclusion, the Tribunal relied on the clear wording of the China-Korea BIT. Consequently, the Tribunal upheld China’s Rule 41(5) Objection, finding that Ansung’s claims under the China-Korea BIT “manifestly lack legal merit”. Further, the Tribunal ordered Ansung to bear all of the arbitration fees and pay 75% of China’s legal fees and expenses.

ICSID Arbitration Rule 41(5) was added in 2006 to provide an expedited procedure for early dismissal of a case. The rule offers the possibility to a respondent to raise an objection that the case is manifestly lacking legal merit at the preliminary stage of the proceeding. Among more than 20 cases in which the host State filed a Rule 41(5) Objection, only two tribunals dismissed the claims entirely, according to public information.

Zhong Lun is acclaimed for its excellent domestic and international arbitration practice and has received praise from major legal media and news outlets for many years. In March 2016, Zhong Lun was awarded the “Chinese International Arbitration Practice that Impressed in the Past Year” by Global Arbitration Review (GAR).

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