Cai Xiaohan is Counsel in the International Arbitration, Construction & Projects practice at Rajah & Tann Singapore.
Xiaohan is dual-qualified in Singapore and in England & Wales. Her practice spans a broad range of commercial and investment treaty arbitrations conducted under major institutional and ad hoc rules, including SIAC, ICC, ICDR, AAA, and UNCITRAL. Xiaohan has experience with disputes governed by diverse systems of law, such as Singapore, English, U.S., Chinese, Indonesian, Cambodian, and Indian law, and has acted in matters seated in Singapore, England, the United States, and Switzerland.
In addition to her arbitration practice, Xiaohan also represents clients in commercial litigation, set aside, and enforcement proceedings before the Singapore courts, and in construction adjudications under the Singapore Security of Payment Act.
Xiaohan was a Visiting Fellow at the National University of Singapore and has spoken at panel events in London, Durham, Singapore, and Munich. She has published both as sole author and co-author in leading publications. She is also a current member of the Law Society of Singapore’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee.
Before joining Rajah & Tann Singapore, Xiaohan practised for four years in the London office of a leading U.S. law firm.
EXPERIENCE
Infrastructure, Construction and Engineering
- Represented a U.S. contractor in disputes with a sub-contractor arising from a military airbase construction project in India (Indian law, SIAC arbitration in Singapore).
- Represented the developer in disputes with the main contractor concerning the design and construction of a mixed-use development in Cambodia (Cambodian law, SIAC arbitration in Singapore).
- Represented the main contractor in an arbitration and subsequent enforcement proceedings arising from the construction of a healthcare facility in Singapore (Singapore law, SIAC arbitration in Singapore).
- Represented the main contractor in disputes with a sub-contractor relating to the construction of a transport facility in Singapore (Singapore law, SIAC arbitration in Singapore).
- Advised the owner and operator of power assets in Southeast Asia on a dispute conerning the design and construction of a 2×100 MW coal-fired power plant.
- Advised a state department in disputes with a main contractor arising from the construction of multiple highways in an Eastern European state.
Commercial Arbitration and Litigation
- Represented a Singaporean group of companies in three arbitrations concerning franchise agreements for various Southeast Asian territories (Pennsylvania law, ICDR and AAA arbitrations in Pennsylvania).
- Represented a Brazilian mining company in two arbitrations concerning the performance of long-term iron ore supply and purchase agreements (English law, ICC arbitration in London).
- Represented a hotel management company in disputes with an owner of two luxury hotels in Singapore (Singapore law, SIAC arbitration in Singapore).
- Successfully represented a developer before the Singapore High Court in an action for the rectification of a sale and purchase agreement: Doo Wan Tsong Charles and others v Oxley Jasper Pte Ltd and another [2022] 3 SLR 1148.
- Represented a ship bunkering company before the Singapore High Court in a dispute involving alleged loan agreements and alleged breaches of directors’ duties.
- Acted as Tribunal Secretary in an SIAC arbitration between Singaporean and South Korean parties arising out of a settlement agreement (Singapore law, SIAC arbitration in Singapore).
Investment Arbitration and Investor State Dispute Settlement
- Represented a UK investor in a bilingual PCA‑administered UNCITRAL treaty arbitration against an East Asian state, seated in Switzerland, arising from claims of expropriation and unfair treatment of an agricultural investment.
- Advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a foreign government on issues relating to investor‑state dispute settlement in Singapore.
Others
- Advised the governments of Papua New Guinea, Maldives, Palau, Vanuatu, and Timor‑Leste on accession to the New York Convention and on international arbitration legal reform under a project conducted under the auspices of the Asian Development Bank and UNCITRAL.
- Advised a payment services provider on sanctions regulations in Singapore.
- Advised a payment services provider on issues relating to fraudulent activity.
MEMBERSHIPS
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, The Law Society of Singapore
- Member, ArbitralWomen
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Legal Voices for the Future, “Investor-State Arbitration and Climate Challenges” (London, November 2025)
- Visiting Fellow, National University of Singapore, “Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in China” (Singapore, August 2025)
- London International Disputes Week, “The Best Seats in the House: London and Singapore” (London, June 2025)
- DIS40 Spring Conference, “Rerunning arbitrations (after a set-aside or refusal to enforce)” (Munich, May 2023)
PUBLICATIONS
- Co-author, “Documents and other types of evidence in construction disputes” (GAR Guide to Construction Arbitration Edition 6; August 2025)
- Co-author, “Mitigating Sanctions Risk in a Rapidly Evolving Geopolitical Landscape: Perspectives under English and Singapore Law” (Corporate Disputes Magazine, July 2025)
- Sole author, “A Proposal for Arbitrating Disputes Arising from Nuclear Damage” (Indian Review of International Arbitration, February 2025)
- Co-author, “General Principles of Compensatory Damages” in Damages, Expert Evidence and Valuation in Commercial Disputes in India (Thomson Reuters, November 2023)
- Co-author, “Arbitration Law Reform in England: A Comparison with Singapore” (Financier Worldwide, May 2022)
- Co-author, “Legal Technology in Singapore (2nd Edition)” (LawTech.Asia, September 2019)
