On 5 December 2018, “Symposium on Arbitration and Legal Risk Prevention under the Construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt”, which was co-hosted by China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (hereinafter referred to as “CIETAC”), China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Xi’an Sub-Council (hereinafter referred to as “CCPIT Xi’an”), CIETAC Silk Road Arbitration Center, and co-supported by Xi’an Law Society, Xi'an Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone Management Committee, CIETAC Shaanxi Free Trade Zone Service Center, was successfully held in Xi’an. The symposium is a concrete measure to implement China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and the goal of building “Xi’an National Central City,” and to promote the construction of the Xi’an Silk Road Arbitration Center. More than 180 experts and scholars from various industries participated in the symposium.

In his speech, Wang Chengjie,  the Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of CIETAC, said that, with the integration of China and the world economy and the steady advancement of “the Belt and Road Initiative”, the concept of “economic cooperation and law first” provides opportunities for Chinese arbitration while was accompanied by challenges. As an international arbitration institution, CIETAC has extensive international credibility, advanced rules and a sound layout. Its arbitral awards have been recognized in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. Countries along the Silk Road are important nodes of “the Belt and Road Initiative”, and it is the due responsibility of CIETAC to escort “the Belt and Road Initiative”. The establishment of CIETAC Silk Road Arbitration Center will better serve the Shaanxi Free Trade Zone and the countries along the “Belt and Road”, provide high-quality, efficient and convenient arbitration and legal services for the economic and trade cooperation among enterprises of all countries. It has become an important part of the construction of the legalization of business environment of “the Belt and Road Initiative”.

Wang Yong, the Deputy Mayor of Xi'an Municipal People's Government, said in his speech that CIETAC was one of the world's leading permanent commercial arbitration institutions and the establishment of the Silk Road Arbitration Center had a positive impact on Xi'an's external development. With the acceleration of opening up to the outside world, countries are increasingly connected economically. As arbitration becomes the preferred solution for international commercial disputes, the role and strategic significance of the Silk Road Arbitration Center would be further highlighted. The Xi'an Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government would work hard to keep up with the international standard with regard to governmental and legal affairs, mobilize  CIETAC’s international and domestic resources of experts, give full play to the functions of public legal services, and play a positive role in further optimizing the business environment of Xi'an.

During the keynote speech of the symposium, Meng Gang, the Deputy Director of the Legal Compliance Department of China Development Bank, Wang Weidong, arbitrator of CIETAC, Cheng Shujuan, professor of Northwest University of Political Science and Law, and Tang Gongyuan, arbitrator of  CIETAC, delivered speeches respectively focused on the “Rule of Law Thinking on‘the Belt and Road Initiative’ Financial Innovation”“Legal Risk Prevention on Silk Road Economic Belt Investment Infrastructure Project” “The Construction of the Civil and Commercial Rule of Law for the Silk Road Economic Belt” and “Problems and Dispute Resolution of Enterprises Going Global”. In the final interactive session, Zhang Gengyuan, Vice President of CCPIT Xi'an, Wang Haocheng, General Counsel of CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center,  Meng Gang, Wang Weidong, Tang Gongyuan and representatives of the conference had in-depth interaction and communication on topics such as “Issues of Investment Arbitration” “the Legal Risk Prevention for Financial Institutions in the Belt and Road Initiative” “the Impact of the Singapore Convention on the Dispute Resolution Pattern,”and put forward many feasible suggestions.