On December 10, 2020, Gu Yan, Vice President of the CIETAC Arbitration Court & Secretary General of CIETAC Jiangsu Arbitration Center (“CIETAC Jiangsu Center”) ,arrived at China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lianyungang Area (“Lianyungang Area”) to conduct a research on the construction of its legal environment. Vice President Gu Yan and his delegation were warmly received by Liu Junqiang, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Lianyungang Area, Yin Yulin, Director of the Comprehensive Coordination Division of Lianyungang Area, and Wang Ning, Director of the Institution Innovation Division of Lianyungang Area, as well as other officers. Both sides held constructive discussions.

Vice President Gu Yan pointed out that arbitration, with its advantages of  party autonomy, finality of the award, judgment by experts, transnational enforceability, and relatively low costs, has become the main ADR resolution method for international and domestic commercial disputes . The establishment of CIETAC Jiangsu Center in Nanjing is to bring rich resources of commercial arbitration into Jiangsu and Lianyungang. In light of the needs of the economic and social development and the high-level opening-up of Jiangsu Pilot Free Trade Zone and Lianyungang Area, CIETAC Jiangsu Center will make full use of its expertise and legal resources, to provide first-class, high-quality and efficient arbitration and legal services with fairness and impartiality for enterprises in the Free Trade Zone, and contribute to a market-oriented, legalized and international business environment in Jiangsu Pilot Free Trade Zone and Lianyungang Area.

Deputy Director Liu Junqiang welcomed Vice President Gu Yan and

 his delegation, saying that Lianyungang Area will focus on building a major international transportation hub in Asia and Europe, an open portal gathering elements with quality, a platform of communication and cooperation for all countries/regions along the "Belt and Road". Lianyungang Area will fully employ its advantage of multimodal transportation, enhance its openness, emphasize on cultivating cross-border e-commerce, foreign trade, logistics transportation and other export-oriented enterprises, so as to accelerate cluster development and promote omni-directional opening. As an internationally renowned arbitration institution, CIETAC always adheres to the principle of independence and impartiality and follows the direction for international development. He hoped that by introducing the professionality and internationalization of CIETAC, both sides can promote their communication and cooperation in commercial arbitration,  and contribute to the high-quality development of Lianyungang Area.

During the discussions, Director Yin Yulin also briefed on the overall goal, functional orientation and policy design of the construction of Lianyungang Area, and made detailed explanations on the next step of the work. Both sides also exchanged opinions on issues such as arbitration costs, nomination of arbitrators, overseas enforcement of the award, and online arbitration.

Wang Yang, Director of the Legal Department of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (“CCPIT”) Jiangsu Sub-Council, Shen Xuezhu, Deputy Director of CCPIT Lianyungang Committee , Liu Juan, principal staff member of CCPIT Lianyungang Committee, Tang Yinhong, Deputy Secretary General of CIETAC Jiangsu Center, Sun Jing and Li Xinyu, staff members of CIETAC Jiangsu Arbitration Center, also participated in the discussions.