Zongyao (Eric) Li

Zongyao (Eric) Li is a Senior Associate at A&O Shearman, based in Singapore. His practice focuses on Arbitration and Mediation.

Eric represents and advises companies, States and State-owned entities in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations.

He has acted on arbitrations conducted under the auspices of major arbitration rules, including ICSID, ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, CIETAC and UNCITRAL. The matters he has worked on span various sectors, including construction, energy, telecommunications, real estate, technology, private equity and finance. He also acts as tribunal secretary in arbitration proceedings.

Eric is a Research Fellow at the Center for International Economic Law and Policy, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE).

His representative matters include acting for Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. as Claimant in an ICSID arbitration against the Kingdom of Sweden (ICSID Case No. ARB/22/2) concerning Sweden's ban of Huawei's equipment from 5G infrastructure under the China–Sweden bilateral investment treaty; acting for an international joint venture in an ICC arbitration in Paris brought by a European contractor concerning the construction of a gas processing facility in Africa; acting for a US technology company and its European subsidiary as Claimants in a HKIAC arbitration in Hong Kong against a Chinese technology company arising from the breach of a software licence and maintenance agreement; acting for the People's Republic of China in an ICSID arbitration brought by Hela Schwarz GmbH (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/19) under the China–Germany bilateral investment treaty; acting for a Pakistani Independent Power Producer in an ICC arbitration in Singapore against a Pakistani State-owned entity arising from Power Purchase Agreements governed by English law; acting for Ukraine as Respondent in an SCC arbitration in Stockholm brought by VEB.RF relating to sanctions and other measures allegedly targeting Russian banks in Ukraine after 2014 under the 1998 Ukraine–Russia bilateral investment treaty; and acting for the Australian subsidiary of a Chinese company as Claimant in a CIETAC arbitration in Beijing against an Australian company concerning the supply of complex mining equipment under Chinese law.

His pro bono work includes advising an asylum seeker before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and advising victims of the Khmer Rouge regime before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.