Submissions in international arbitration

The disputing parties must submit all the documents and evidence required for arbitration in paper and/or electronic form, including but not limited to request for arbitration, answer, counterclaim, ID documents, etc., in the number of copies and within the time period specified under the applicable arbitration rules or required by the arbitral tribunal.

For example, CIETAC Arbitration Rules states,

Submission and Exchange of Arbitration Documents

1. All arbitration documents from the parties shall be submitted to the Arbitration Court.

2. All arbitration documents to be exchanged during the arbitral proceedings shall be exchanged among the arbitral tribunal and the parties by the Arbitration Court unless otherwise agreed by the parties and with the consent of the arbitral tribunal or otherwise decided by the arbitral tribunal.

Copies of Arbitration Documents

When submitting the Request for Arbitration, the Statement of Defense, the Statement of Counterclaim, evidence, and other arbitration documents, the parties shall make their submissions in quintuplicate. Where there are multiple parties, additional copies shall be provided accordingly. Where the party applies for preservation of property or protection of evidence, it shall also provide additional copies accordingly. Where the arbitral tribunal is composed of a sole arbitrator, the number of copies submitted may be reduced by two.