BEIJING/ISLAMABAD — Building on their landmark partnership formed earlier this year, the Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD) and Yingke Law Firm reconvened on April 21, 2025, at Yingke’s global headquarters in Beijing for a high-level follow-up meeting to operationalize their shared legal development goals under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), particularly in Pakistan and other Global South countries.
The strategic session focused on the launch of a series of International Workshops on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR). These workshops aim to empower the legal fraternity, including young lawyers, law students, judges, corporate leaders, and representatives from the private sector, by equipping them with cutting-edge tools and frameworks for resolving disputes efficiently and digitally — in alignment with global legal modernization trends.
A comprehensive presentation of the workshop model was delivered by Barrister Maham Fadia, Director Legal at BRISD and CEO of Pacta Lexis. The session was held in the presence of Qaiser Nawab, Chairman of BRISD, and Mohammad Shahbaz, Vice Chairman of BRISD. The proposal received enthusiastic endorsement from Yingke’s leadership, including Ms. Serena Zhao, Mr. Li Fei, Ms. Zhang HaiLing, and Ms. Wang YanNi.
Chairman Qaiser Nawab highlighted, “This initiative reflects our deep commitment to not only legal harmonization across BRI jurisdictions but also youth capacity building. ADR and ODR are key to transforming justice delivery — making it faster, cheaper, and more inclusive. Pakistan, as a pioneering BRI nation, is ready to lead on legal innovation.”
The workshops aim to facilitate cross-border legal cooperation, reduce litigation burdens, and foster mutual understanding among legal systems within BRI countries — promoting the BRI’s core values of shared growth, knowledge exchange, and win-win cooperation.
This meeting followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BRISD and Yingke Law Firm on January 8, 2025, marking the beginning of a dynamic partnership to support BRI legal frameworks. That earlier engagement set the foundation for today’s forward-looking initiatives, which now move toward actionable, grassroots impact through training and global collaboration.
Li Fei, Deputy Director for Regional Development at Yingke, reaffirmed Yingke’s commitment to building a “Global One-Hour Legal Services Ecosystem” with BRISD, stating: “We are excited to support Pakistan and other BRI countries by providing expertise, technological resources, and international best practices in dispute resolution.”
As the partnership deepens, BRISD and Yingke Law Firm are poised to catalyze a legal revolution that strengthens investor confidence, promotes regional integration, and ensures that legal systems keep pace with the rapidly evolving nature of global trade and development.(001)
