On January 20, 2018, East & Concord Partners joined hands with China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Hubei Free Trade Zone Service Center and China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETA) Hubei Sub-commission to hold “Belt & Road Dispute Resolution and Free Trade Zone Construction Seminar” in China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission Hubei Sub-commission. Junyi Yao, executive director of CCPIT Hubei Free Trade Zone Service Center and secretary general of CIETA Hubei Sub-commission delivered the opening speech, and British Queen's Counsel Adrian Hughes and Philip Chiao, partner of East & Concord, delivered keynote speeches entitled “Dispute Resolution under the Belt & Road Initiative—On How to Successfully Represent and Manage International Arbitration Cases” and “Free Trade Zone Arbitration Practice,” respectively. The seminar attracted over 100 attendees including CIETA arbitrators, senior enterprise managers, legal affairs manager,  lawyers, law school professors and students.

Chiao, who graduated from Peking University School, LLM, has over 15 years of experience in TMT and dispute resolution involving foreign elements. He is skilled at resolving cross-border disputes, and has provided perennial and special legal services for dispute resolution for many state-owned enterprises, foreign enterprises and privately-run enterprises. The clients include Microsoft, DiDichuxing, China Internet Plus Group, NTT, Neophotonics, and other multinational companies. Chiao is able to provide expert legal services involving foreign elements in fluent English. In addition, he has published foreign-related professional books on law including Understanding English Contracts and Handbook of Essential Legal English Vocabulary.