CHANG TSI
News
Recently, the Shanghai Eastern International Commercial Mediation Center (“SEICMC”) announced its first panel of mediators, marking an important step forward in Shanghai’s efforts to build a diversified and internationalized commercial dispute resolution mechanism. Leslie Xu, Partner of Chang Tsi & Partners, Director of the Chang Tsi Strategic Research Institute, and Head of the firm’s Shanghai Office, was successfully appointed in recognition of his solid theoretical foundation and extensive practical experience in the field of intellectual property.
SEICMC is the first commercial mediation organization in China officially coded and supervised by the Ministry of Justice. It was jointly initiated by the Shanghai Arbitration Commission, the Shanghai Bar Association, the Shanghai Notary Association, the Shanghai Intellectual Property Services Association, and the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce. The Center is positioned as a key professional dispute resolution platform serving both domestic and international commercial parties.
The selection of mediators adhered to high standards and strict requirements, with a comprehensive assessment across multiple dimensions, including professional competence, practical experience, professional ethics, and international perspective. The appointed mediator panel features a diverse and high-level structure, comprising frontline practitioners from large enterprises and renowned law firms, senior executives from central state-owned enterprises, multinational corporations, and listed companies, as well as technical experts, legal scholars, former judges, and registered arbitrators. Their professional expertise spans major commercial dispute areas such as international investment, finance and trade, intellectual property, and construction and engineering.
Leslie Xu holds a Doctor of Laws degree and has long focused on both the theory and practice of intellectual property law. He has developed systematic hands-on experience in trademarks, copyright, unfair competition, and complex commercial dispute resolution. Leading his team, he has successfully handled a large number of difficult and complex litigation and non-contentious matters, and has designed and implemented comprehensive IP protection and business competition strategies for numerous clients, including Fortune Global 500 companies, multinational groups, and innovative domestic enterprises.
In 2024, Leslie was selected for the inaugural “Dingxin” Legal Talent Pool of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice. He has also received industry recognitions from Asian Legal Business (ALB), World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR), LexisNexis, and CLECSS, and has been awarded honors such as “Outstanding Figure in Shanghai’s Intellectual Property Services Sector” and “Outstanding Young Lawyer of Pudong New Area (9th Edition).” In addition, he serves as an expert for intellectual property expert databases in the EU and multiple regions in China. He has published numerous academic articles in leading journals such as Intellectual Property and Science, Technology and Law, and continues to conduct in-depth research and observation on IP protection and competition order in the context of artificial intelligence and the digital economy.
His appointment to the inaugural panel of mediators not only reflects his accumulated academic and practical expertise in intellectual property, but also demonstrates his comprehensive capabilities and industry recognition in the field of high-end commercial dispute resolution.
With the recent promulgation of the Commercial Mediation Regulation (the “Regulation”), intellectual property dispute resolution has entered a new phase of institutional development. For the first time at the level of administrative regulations, the Regulation explicitly includes intellectual property disputes within the scope of commercial mediation. Mediation agreements may obtain enforceability through judicial confirmation, significantly enhancing their legal effect and predictability. As an important dispute resolution mechanism operating in parallel with litigation and arbitration, commercial mediation is increasingly becoming a key institutional pillar serving market participants.
Intellectual property disputes are often characterized by both technical complexity and commercial sensitivity. Traditional litigation routes tend to be time-consuming and adversarial. The involvement of professional mediators with deep IP expertise enables a better understanding of technical and business logic, facilitating rational negotiation and substantive resolution of disputes.
Leslie Xu noted that, going forward, he will actively participate in the mediation of intellectual property and complex commercial cases within the SEICMC framework, explore mechanisms for coordination between mediation, arbitration, and litigation, and contribute to building a more efficient, professional, and internationalized dispute resolution system—providing enterprises with more diversified and predictable solutions for resolving disputes.
