On December 10, 2020, the Symposium on the Innovation and Development of the Legal and Business Environment in the Free Trade Zone and the International Economic and Trade Situation was successfully held in Lian Yungang. The symposium was co-hosted by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission Jiangsu Center ("CIETAC Jiangsu Center") and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Jiangsu Sub-Council ("CCPIT Jiangsu"), supported by CCPIT Lian Yungang Branch, the International Chamber of Commerce Lian Yungang Branch, and jointly organized by Lian Yungang Lawyers’ Association, the Shanghai Fangben (Lian Yungang) Law Firm and  Jiangsu Huishang Surveyors & Adjusters Co., Ltd. Gu Yan, Vice President of CIETAC Arbitration Court and Secretary General of CIETAC Jiangsu Center, Wei Aichun, Vice Mayor of Lian Yungang City, and Xiao Tiejun, Vice President of the CCPIT Jiangsu attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Ping Haosheng, Director of the CCPIT Lian Yungang Branch presided over the symposium.

Gu Yan delivered a keynote speech, pointing out that arbitration is a recognized and effective way to resolve economic, trade and investment disputes and plays a unique role in promoting the construction of a friendly business environment. As the first arbitration organization in China since the founding of the People's Republic of China, CIETAC has accumulated rich experience in international and domestic arbitration after more than 60 years of development, playing an important role in promoting the development of international arbitration in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide. Facing with the COVID-19 pandemic this year, CIETAC has taken a series of important measures, such as conducting research on the legal risks of COVID-19 prevention and control, promoting online case filing and virtual hearing, etc., to overcome the negative impact of the pandemic.

Then under the topic of "CIETAC Contributing to the Construction of the Legal and Business Environment in Jiangsu Free Trade Zone", he updated the recent development of arbitration in China and in international arbitration, and briefed about the characteristics of CIETAC arbitration service from different aspects including CIETAC’s layout at home and abroad, alternative dispute resolution service of CIETAC, the building of arbitrators’ team and international measures in detail. He also introduced about the CIETAC Jiangsu Center since its establishment.

In the end, he said that the Lian Yungang Free Trade Zone in Jiangsu province plays an important role in "building major international transport hub of Asia and Europe" and building "the communication and cooperation platform of countries along Belt and Road". Starting from the symposium, CIETAC Jiangsu Center will continue to help enterprises to use arbitration better to solve disputes arising in the process of the Free Trade Zones economy fitting into the globalization, to promote the new development of legal services in Jiangsu especially in the Free Trade Zone, to work together to build Jiangsu as highlands in China's arbitration, and to promote the optimization of legal and business environment in Jiangsu Free Trade Zone.

(Vice President Gu Yan Delivered a Keynote Speech)

Vice mayor Wei Aichun said that Lian Yungang has undertaken such important historical tasks as serving the Belt and Road Initiative, building smooth roads and bridges, and facilitatiing trade. At present, the rule of law in Lian Yungang Free Trade Zone is being improved, but it still needs sufficient theoretical guidance and specific systematic construction. The symposium today discussed the diversified disputes resolution mechanism, analyzed the situation of international economy and trade. It would help the enterprises to solve disputes in the most ideal way, and help Lian Yungang city to speed up the building of the "Belt and Road", and better serve the state's strategy, in accordance with the theme of "to be the first with a late departure, to pursue high quality development". He hoped that the symposium will contribute more wisdom and experience to the construction and the reform and opening up of Lian Yungang Free Trade Zone. 

(Vice Mayor Wei Aichun Delivered Remarks)

Vice Chairman Xiao Tiejun said that the current international political, economic and trade situation is becoming more complicated, the construction of Jiangsu Free Trade Zone and export-oriented enterprises are facing severe challenges of international environment. CCPIT Jiangsu gives full play to the role of trade promotion, investment promotion, actively participates in free trade zone construction, promotes the fusion and mechanism innovation of diversified economic and trade disputes resolution, aiming to promote the legal and business environment of the Jiangsu Free Trade Zone. This symposium is helpful for a better understanding of the current international economic and trade situation, and will make positive impacts on the legal and business environment of the Free trade area.

(Vice Chairman Xiao Tiejun Delivered Remarks)

There are two sessions in the symposium. In the first session of "the Innovation and Development of the Legal and Business Environment in the Free Trade Zone", Li Houlong, Chief Justice of Nanjing Maritime Court, under the topic of "Exert Maritime Adjudicative Function to Serve the Construction of Jiangsu Free Trade Zone", briefed about the Nanjing Maritime Court since its foundation in 2019. Concentrated on the main contents of the maritime trial service in Free Trade Zone and basic situation of maritime disputes in the Free Trade Zone, he suggested that maritime legal system in the Free Trade Zone should be improved, maritime legal principles in the Free Trade Zone should be developed reasonably, and alternative dispute resolution should be introduced.

(Chief Justice Li Houlong delivered a keynote speech)

Professor Zheng Shaohua, Assistant Principal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and legal expert of the Free Trade Zone, delivered his speeches with topic of "Free Trade Zone Governance Experiment" via video. He introduced about the systematic opening of the free trade zone and positioning of balance of domestic and foreign-related rule of law and the vision of state governance. Concentrated on four aspects of open society, limited government, free enterprise, neutral judgment, he shared his thoughts on the one-stop disputes resolution mechanism of mediation, arbitration, adjudication, and arbitration-friendly in detail.

(Professor Zheng Shaohua Delivered a Keynote Speech)

Professor Zhou Jiepu, legal professor of Shanghai university of Finance and Economics, legal expert of the Free Trade Zone, delivered speech with the topic of "Development of Rule of Law for Business Environment in the Free Trade Zone". He started from the definition and the basic rules of doing business, concentrated on the focus of the free trade zone experiment and the basic requirement of marketization and internationalization, the rule of law construction in the free trade zone, and pointed out that the business judgment rule should be respected, precedents should be followed and business customs should be carefully recognized in in the construction of the rule of law in the free trade zone.

(Professor Zhou Jiepu Delivered a Keynote Speech)

Jiang Weijian, Mediator of China Maritime Arbitration Commission, and Senior Captain delivered his speech with the topic of "the Effective Measure for the Maritime Disputes". Based on his rich experience in engagement in maritime accident processing, starting from types of most frequent accidents including the collision, goods damage, oil pollution accident, the ship fires, he illustrated the procedure of maritime cases, characteristics of maritime goods damage procedure and hot issues such as force majeure in shipping practice. 

(Captain Jiang Weijian Delivered a Keynote Speech)

Luo Shunyao, Partner of Shanghai Fangben Law Firm and a Patent Agent, delivered his speech with the topic of "Building Lian Yungang International Highland of Intellectual Property Rights". Starting from the amendment of new patent law for the protection of innovation, he introduced about the protection of appearance patent and pharmaceutical patent, and the encouragement for the inventors and designers etc. He also interpreted the international patent layout and intellectual property rights dispute resolution in detail, in the context of the intellectual property rights policy in Shanghai and Suzhou.

(Lawyer Luo Shunyao Delivered a Keynote Speech)

In the second session "the Analysis of Global Economic Situation and Expectations and Analysis of ASEAN market", Zhang Chao, Secondary Researcher of Jiangsu CCPIT made a concise analysis of the international economic and trade situation changes during the pandemic, with a special analysis in ASEAN market, helping enterprises to take effective measures in time, and develop overseas market with support of reasonable theory.

(Zhang Chao Delivered a Keynote Speech)

With the deepening of the construction of the Free Trade Zone, the number of foreign-related economic and trade disputes has been increasing gradually. It is of great significance for the smooth implementation of the Free Trade Zone to solve the disputes for enterprises in the free trade zone fairly and efficiently, to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the parties concerned, and to create a law-based business environment. The symposium held in Lian Yungang is timely, which is the first time that CIETAC Jiangsu Center holding events in a port city. It will help enterprises within the free trade zone in Jiangsu province and Lian Yungang to deepen their understanding of arbitration and CIETAC Jiangsu Center, and will help to optimize the free trade zone business environment construction, to contribute to the innovation of the Jiangsu Free Trade Zone economic development. More than 220 arbitrators, lawyers, scholars and professionals in economic and trade law legal attended the symposium.

(Scene of the Symposium)