Brief Introduction of International Arbitration in China

In the context of economic globalization, international commercial arbitration is a rapid and efficient mechanism to solve economic and commercial disputes between parties from different countries and regions and has been more and more widely applied to resolve their legal disputes.

International commercial arbitration in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC” or “China”) has been developing more rapidly since the introduction of The Arbitration Law in 1994, and has been further promoted by a series of landmark events, including but not limited to the accession of the PRC to the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) in 2001, the launch of the Belt and Road initiative in 2013, etc. More and more arbitration institutions have been established and reformed, and more and more cases have been accepted and heard. And the laws and rules governing international commercial arbitration are further improved and localized.

Currently, international commercial arbitration in the PRC is governed by The Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China (enacted in January 1, 2021, the “Civil Code”), The Arbitration Law of the People’s Republic of China (enacted in 1994 and last amended in 2017, the “Arbitration Law”), The Civil Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China (enacted in 1991 and last amended in 2021, the “Civil Procedure Law”), The Law of Choice of Law Applicable in International Civil Relations of the People's Republic of China (enacted in 2010, the “Law of Choice of Law”), several interpretations and notices issued by the Supreme Court of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter, the “Supreme Court”), the arbitration rules prepared and applied by the international commercial arbitration institutions, etc.

List of International Arbitration Institutions

1.    CIETAC and Its Branches

China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission

(1)   Headquarters

Website: http://www.cietac.org

(2)   CIETAC South China Sub-Commission

Website: http://www.cietac.org

(3)   CIETAC Shanghai Sub-Commission

Website: http://www.cietac.org

(4)   CIETAC Tianjin International Economic and Financial Arbitration Center (Tianjin Sub-commission)

Website: http://www.cietac-tj.org

(5)   CIETAC Southwest Sub-Commission

Website: http://www.cietac-sw.org

(6)   CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center

Website: http://www.cietachk.org

(7)   CIETAC Zhejiang Sub-Commission

Website：http://www.cietac-zj.org

(8)   CIETAC Hubei Sub-Commission

Website：http://www.cietac-hb.org

(9)   CIETAC Fujian Sub-Commission (Fujian FTZ Arbitration Center)

Website：http://www.cietac-fj.org

(10) CIETAC Silk Road Arbitration Center

(11) CIETAC Jiangsu Arbitration Center

Website：http://www.cietac-js.org

(12) CIETAC Sichuan Sub-Commission

Email：sichuan@cietac.org

(13) CIETAC Shandong Sub-Commission

(14) CIETAC European Arbitration Centre

Website: https://www.cietac-eu.org/

2.    SCIA and Its Branches

Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration

Website: http://www.scia.com.cn/

(1)   Qianhai New Headquarters

(2)   Futian Office and China (Shenzhen) Securities Arbitration Centre

3.    SIAC

Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (Shanghai International Arbitration Center)

Website: www.shiac.org

4.    SIACA

Shanghai International Aviation Court of Arbitration

Website: https://www.shiac.org/pc/Aviation

5.    HKIAC and Its Branches

Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre

(1)   Hong Kong Office

(2)   Shanghai Office

(3)   Seoul Office

6.    HIAC and Its Branches

Hainan International Arbitration Court

(1)   Headquarters

(2)   HIAC Sanya Branch

(3)   HIAC International Mediation Center

(4)   Danzhou Office