International law expert and National Chairman – Legal Services Committee, AACCI, Jatin Sharma calls for a stronger cross-border business ecosystem as senior diplomats and global business leaders gather at IIC New Delhi

NEW DELHI | September 24, 2026

As countries compete for global investment and businesses increasingly look beyond national borders for markets, technology and partnerships, Advocate Jatin Sharma has called for a new international conversation — one that looks beyond opening markets to creating the legal and institutional confidence required to sustain cross-border business.

Speaking at the 8th High Level Diplomatic Meet 2026 – Series VIII at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi, Sharma introduced the idea of “Justice Corridors” to complement the trade, financial and diplomatic corridors increasingly connecting countries.

The high-level gathering brought together senior diplomats, international representatives and business leaders for deliberations around global trade, investment and economic cooperation.

Among the diplomatic participants were H.E. Mr. Peter M. Munyiri, High Commissioner of Kenya to India; H.E. Mr. Fesseha Shawel Gebre, Ambassador of Ethiopia to India; H.E. Prof. Kwasi Obiri-Danso, High Commissioner of Ghana; and H.E. Prof. Joyce Kakuramatsi Kikafunda, High Commissioner of Uganda, alongside representatives of several other countries. Dr. Arjun Bhatta, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, brought an important South Asian economic perspective to the deliberations.

Sharma, an international lawyer and Founder & Managing Counsel of international law firm Jurist & Jurist International, addressed the gathering in his institutional capacity as National Chairman – Legal Services Committee of the Asian-African Chamber of Commerce & Industry (AACCI).

“India is growing. Asia is transforming. Africa is rising. Increasingly, these are not three separate economic stories. We are participating in each other’s growth.”

But greater economic interdependence, he argued, brings with it a new responsibility: creating an ecosystem in which businesses can cross borders with confidence.

Opening a Market Is Only the Beginning

Diplomacy can bring countries closer. Chambers can introduce businesses. Governments can facilitate investment. And business forums can create opportunities.

But an international transaction begins—not ends—with the introduction.

A company entering another country must assess its counterparty, understand the regulatory environment, structure its investment, negotiate contracts, protect payments, manage intellectual property and technology, and determine what happens if the commercial relationship does not proceed as expected.

For Sharma, this is where the conversation around international investment needs to evolve.

“Creating an opportunity may bring businesses together. Creating confidence enables them to invest, operate, expand and build relationships across borders.”

The question, therefore, is no longer simply how to create more cross-border opportunities, but how to build an institutional environment capable of supporting those opportunities throughout their commercial lifecycle.

Trade Corridors Need Justice Corridors

Trade corridors move goods. Financial corridors move capital. Diplomatic corridors create relationships.

Sharma argued that expanding cross-border commerce also requires something less visible but equally important — a corridor of commercial confidence.

He termed it a “Justice Corridor.”

The proposal does not envisage another international court or an institution controlled by any particular jurisdiction. Instead, it seeks greater connectivity among diplomatic missions, Chambers of Commerce, businesses, legal professionals, mediation centres and arbitration institutions across countries.

The purpose is to create identifiable pathways through which businesses can prevent commercial problems, address differences early and access effective dispute-resolution mechanisms when formal intervention becomes necessary.

“The future of international dispute resolution should not be about one jurisdiction competing with another. It should increasingly be about institutions cooperating across jurisdictions.”

For cross-border businesses, that distinction is important. The question is not simply where a dispute should be fought. The more valuable question is: can the dispute be prevented, contained or resolved before it destroys the underlying commercial relationship?

After ‘Ease of Doing Business’, Is ‘Ease of Resolving Business’ the Next Conversation?

Governments around the world have spent years improving the Ease of Doing Business — simplifying market entry, facilitating investment and making their jurisdictions more attractive to international companies.

Sharma asked the diplomatic gathering to consider the other side of that equation: What happens after the investment has been made?

What happens when an overseas buyer does not pay? When joint-venture partners disagree? When a cross-border acquisition generates post-closing claims? When a distribution arrangement fails? Or when a commercially valuable relationship encounters a disagreement that neither party originally anticipated?

Sharma described this as the “Ease of Resolving Business.”

“For years we have spoken about the Ease of Doing Business. The next chapter must also include the Ease of Resolving Business.”

The concept goes beyond arbitration or litigation. It asks whether an international business ecosystem is capable of identifying risk early, preventing avoidable disputes, facilitating commercial settlements and providing effective adjudication where resolution is otherwise impossible.

“Prevent early. Mediate where appropriate. Arbitrate where necessary. Preserve relationships wherever feasible.”

The final principle is particularly significant for international commerce. A successful commercial resolution does not always require one party to defeat another.

Sometimes the better outcome is that: the dispute ends, the business relationship continues.

Why This Matters for Cross-Border Investors

The concept of a Justice Corridor also reflects the changing nature of international legal practice.

Cross-border risk often arises long before a dispute. The choice of business partner, due diligence, investment structure, shareholder rights, representations and warranties, governing law, dispute-resolution clauses, payment protections and enforcement strategy can all determine what happens years later if the commercial relationship encounters difficulty.

Sharma, whose practice through Jurist & Jurist International includes international and cross-border legal matters, argued that legal strategy should therefore become part of the investment journey much earlier.

“The legal conversation should not begin after the problem occurs. It should begin when the opportunity begins.”

The observation represents a broader shift in international business law — from treating lawyers principally as dispute managers to recognising legal strategy as part of commercial risk management.

For an investor crossing borders, the objective should therefore extend beyond resolving disputes. It should be to structure the relationship intelligently enough to reduce the probability of those disputes arising in the first place.

Africa’s Growing Commercial Engagement Adds Weight to the Conversation

The presence of senior diplomats from Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda gave the High Level Diplomatic Meet a particularly strong African dimension.

Their participation came alongside representatives and business leaders exploring wider international investment and commercial relationships, while Nepal’s participation added an important South Asian perspective.

For Sharma, the significance lies in the increasingly interconnected character of these markets.

“India is growing. Asia is transforming. Africa is rising.”

Businesses from India are exploring opportunities abroad, while international businesses are simultaneously looking towards India for investment, partnerships, technology, manufacturing, services and market access.

The challenge is therefore not merely to increase the number of introductions between countries. It is to turn those introductions into sustainable cross-border commercial relationships.

“Diplomacy creates trust between nations. Commerce converts that trust into opportunity between businesses. And law provides the certainty that allows those relationships to endure.”

For an MSME, One International Dispute Can Change the Entire Equation

The need for commercial certainty becomes even more pronounced for MSMEs, exporters and businesses entering an overseas market for the first time.

A multinational corporation may have legal teams and advisers across several jurisdictions. A smaller enterprise may not.

For such a business, one substantial unpaid international invoice can affect working capital. A failed overseas distribution relationship can close an entire market. And the cost of pursuing recovery in an unfamiliar jurisdiction can sometimes make an otherwise valid claim commercially difficult to pursue.

The impact can extend beyond the immediate transaction.

“When that happens, we have not merely failed to resolve a dispute. We may have lost future trade.”

This, he argued, is why legal certainty should be understood as part of the infrastructure supporting international commerce.

“Ports facilitate trade. Logistics facilitate trade. Banking facilitates trade. Technology facilitates trade. Diplomacy facilitates trade. And legal certainty facilitates trade.”

The proposition carries an important economic message: business confidence is influenced not only by the opportunity to make a profit, but also by the predictability of what happens when expectations are not met.

From Diplomatic Dialogue to an International Business Ecosystem

Speaking as AACCI’s National Chairman for Legal Services, Sharma called upon diplomatic missions, Chambers of Commerce, businesses, legal professionals, mediation centres and arbitration institutions to join hands in creating stronger connections across jurisdictions.

The objective, he said, should not be to impose a single country’s legal system upon international commerce. It should be to make existing institutions more connected, accessible and commercially responsive.

A Justice Corridor could therefore begin long before any dispute: with due diligence, appropriate contractual structures and risk assessment. If differences emerge, the next stage could involve negotiation or mediation. Where adjudication becomes unavoidable, institutional arbitration or other appropriate legal remedies could follow.

And throughout that process, the commercial objective should remain visible: protect the investment, resolve the problem and preserve economic value wherever feasible.

Invoking the ancient Indian philosophy “वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — The world is one family,” Sharma linked international economic cooperation with the larger principles of interconnectedness, trust and shared prosperity.

The Larger Question: Can Global Trade Build Confidence as Fast as It Builds Connectivity?

The discussion at the High Level Diplomatic Meet 2026 ultimately raised a question extending beyond any individual country or transaction.

The world is becoming increasingly connected through trade routes, technology, digital commerce, investment flows and global supply chains. But commercial connectivity without institutional confidence can remain fragile.

Sharma’s proposal therefore seeks to place legal certainty alongside market access as part of the conversation on international economic growth.

The progression is clear: Diplomacy creates access. Trade creates opportunity. Investment creates relationships. Law creates certainty. Resolution protects continuity.

And that is where Trade Corridors and Justice Corridors meet.

Sharma concluded his address with a call for countries and institutions to convert diplomatic relationships into a more connected commercial ecosystem:

“Let our Trade Corridors carry goods and opportunity.
Let our Financial Corridors carry investment.
Let our Diplomatic Corridors carry friendship and cooperation.
And let our Justice Corridors carry confidence.”

His final message to the diplomatic and business gathering captured the proposition in one sentence:

“When business crosses borders, confidence must cross with it.”