In answer to the invitation of the International Law Institute of Wuhan University Law School, Dr. Rayhan Asat, a teacher of Xinjiang University Law School and a visiting scholar at Marmara University in Turkey, made an academic report entitled “Is Turkey • Istanbul ready to become a new international arbitration centre”at the 317 classroom of Wuhan University Law School at 9:30 on November 27, 2012. The lecture was hosted by Professor He Qisheng from the International Law Institute. It is worth mentioning that Uighur students from other departments of Wuhan University have come to participate in this lecture.

Dr. Rayhan Asat walked into the classroom with a smile of the Uyghur's unique enthusiasm and sunshine, which made the classmates feel more cordial. The lecture began with warm applause. Dr. Rayhan Asat first showed a picture of the city of Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, in which the Istanbul Bridge connecting Europe and Asia shows the geographical advantages of the city. Dr. Rayhan Asat further explained that as the only metropolis in the world that spans Europe and Asia, the city is trying to establish a new international arbitration center to attract businessmen from all over the world to visit, which intend to compete with the International Arbitration Center (SIAC) in Singapore and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC). the International Arbitration Center (SIAC) and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) are both high and low. Then, Dr. Rayhan Asat demonstrated from the arbitration legislation and judicial practice in Turkey whether Istanbul is fully prepared to establish a new international arbitration center. In terms of legislation, the Turkish Arbitration Law fully inherits the United Nations Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration and the relevant legislative provisions of Switzerland. Dr. Rayhan Asat explained that the former has an authoritative influence and the latter has a neutral status. The perfect combination undoubtedly illustrates the internationalization and fairness of the Turkish arbitration law. In judicial practice, the Turkish courts have a high degree of support for arbitration, and there is almost no interference in arbitration except for certain circumstances. She has proved this point in detail with her years of experience in handling cases and the latest cases. In addition, Dr. Rayhan Asat highlighted the efficiency of Turkish arbitration, which stipulates that a case cannot last for more than one year from the time of submission to the arbitral tribunal to the final decision. It’s been 2 hours since the lecture began with unconsciousness, and the teachers and classmates were immersed in Dr. Rayhan Asat’s wonderful report.

Finally, Professor He Qisheng proposed to begin the questioning section. The students raised their hands and hoped to learn more about the new developments in Turkish law from Dr. Rayhan Asat with this precious opportunity. For example, some students are interested in Turkey's behavior of numbering each law one by one, and asked Dr. Rayhan Asat about the reasons for this move; some students have asked about the reasons that why Hong Kong International Arbitration Center (HKIAC) declines in international status in recent years; some students have asked how the courts in Turkey remedy the apparently unfair arbitral awards. Professor He Qisheng also asked some law school students from Turkish universities to participate in the MOOT competition. Dr. Rayhan Asat answered the questions of the teachers and students one by one. The atmosphere of this report is warm, the content is substantial, and the topic is novel. It is a wonderful academic feast. (International Law Website Correspondent Zhou Yuan)