On November 7, 2022, the 2022 Summer/Fall Course on the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), hosted by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (“CIETAC”) Institute of International Arbitration (“CIETAC International Arbitration Institute”) and organized by CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center, successfully came to the end.

The course was supported by 21 institutions including the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (“UNCITRAL RCAP”), the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong and the Macau Law Society. Since the launch of the course, around 1,500 participants, covering a diverse group of legal professionals such as judges, arbitrators, lawyers, corporate managers/in-house legal councils, university teachers and students, from nearly 20 jurisdictions have actively enrolled in the course.

The course was live-broadcasted online and received over 12,500 online views. The three-month course focused on the international sale of goods, dedicated to nurturing legal talents for international commercial and foreign-related arbitration in China in the new situation.

(Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CIETAC, delivering the opening speech)

The launching ceremony was held on August 20, 2022. In his opening speech, Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CIETAC, pointed out that under the current international and domestic environment, it is the right timing and the obligation for CIETAC to provide this special course of CISG with comprehensive system, high quality and English teaching for all sessions. CIETAC has actively responded to the spirit of the notice issued by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education and other departments and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (“CCPIT”) on implementation of foreign-related talent training projects, and opens this course for free to the students who prepare for the “CIETAC Cup” and the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court and students from more than 20 colleges that have signed or intend to sign strategic cooperation agreements with CIETAC. At the end of his speech, Mr. Wang Chengjie wished the participants keep forging ahead to the promising future, and hoped everyone enjoy the feast of knowledge in the course.

(From left to right, Ms. Athita Komindr, Director of UNCITRAL RCAP, Ms. Lin Meixiu, International Legal Commissioner of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, and Professor Zhao Yun, Director of the Law Department of the University of Hong Kong)

Ms. Athita Komindr, Director of UNCITRAL RCAP, Ms. Lin Meixiu, International Legal Commissioner of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, and Professor Zhao Yun, the academic representative and Director of the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong, were invited to give welcome speeches for the course. They expressed their expectations for the contents of the course and wished the participants would improve themselves and learn through the course.

Thanks to the professional resources and the team of CIETAC arbitrators, the course is taught by 6 leading experts with great academic achievements and considerable practical experience in CISG cases in the field of international commercial law and arbitration law. The course covered a wide range of topics, including the scope of application of the CISG, methodology for interpretation under the CISG, formation of contract, rights and obligations of the buyer and seller, examination of goods and third-party claim, remedies for the breach of contract, and provides in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge according to the framework of rules for international sale of goods contracts under CISG.

（From top to bottom and left to right, in the order of the sessions: Prof. Ulrich G. Schroeter, Professor of University of Basel Member and CISG Advisory Council, Prof. Christopher Kee, Professor of University of Flinders and Director of Willem C. Vis Moot, Prof. Ingeborg Schwenzer, CIETAC Arbitrator, Professor of University of Basel and Former Chair/Current Member of CISG Advisory Council, Prof. Djakhongir Saidov, Professor of King’s College London and Rapporteur of CISG Advisory Council, Prof. Stefan Kröll, Professor of Bucerius Law School and Director of Willem C. Vis Moot, Prof. A.U. Janssen, Professor and Member of the Council of Law School Representatives of Radboud University）

Comments from the Lecturers

It was a great pleasure to teach sessions in the course to such an attentive audience – a significant number among the follow-up questions posed to me by attendees demonstrated a very good grasp of the CISG and its provisions. Some questions furthermore indicated that some attendees already had prior experience with applying the CISG in practice.

——Prof. Ulrich G. Schroeter

The CISG is one of the most successful conventions of all time with its 95 Member 

States and governs directly around 80-90% of the worldwide trade. Besides being the applicable international sales law the CISG has also served many national legislators as a model for their own contract respectively sales law. Hence, the CISG is often a very useful key to understand other national laws. 

China has been a Member State since 1988 and after a recent declaration of China the CISG is also applicable to Hong Kong now. Therefore, it is almost an imperative as a Chinese private law lawyer to know the CISG, and this Course has provided an excellent platform for everybody.

——Prof. A.U. Janssen

I was pleased to be able to teach on this course. I enjoyed both sessions. The duration was quite appropriate, having provided me and the audience with sufficient time to explore all topics in sufficient detail. This duration enabled me to examine a substantial amount of case law, so that the audience could benefit from exposure to commercial realities and challenges they pose to the application of the CISG/sales law to a wide range of factual settings. It was evident from the questions posed to me that the audience was following the discussion very carefully and thoughtfully. All questions, without exception, were very good, highly relevant and incisive. There were some challenging questions, touching upon controversial issues or matters that required a broader discussion. Please, pass my thanks to the audience for their attention and input.

——Prof. Djakhongir Saidov

Comments from the Representatives of Participants

The content of the course was authoritative focusing. The course was well-arranged and highly practical, with attentive and extensive post-course service. I took this opportunity to read through the full text of the CISG both in Chinese and English, annotate those unfamiliar English terms, and research on the conventions and practices related to CISG. Most importantly, I collected the complete set of course materials and teaching PowerPoints provided by CIETAC International Arbitration Institute, which substantially benefits the further study, research and application. The study of CISG is very helpful for both the handling of domestic arbitration cases of sales and purchase contract disputes and the understanding of the provisions in the Civil Code regarding sales and purchase contracts. Studying in the quiet room on the weekends and working on arbitration cases are the joy of life.

——Zhang Zaizhen, CIETAC Arbitrator

This fall's CISG course provided by CIETAC was well-designed, taught by internationally renowned experts and professors, comparing common law, civil law and uniform law of international commercial law, referring to both theory and practical cases. Participants also have the opportunity to raise questions during the course, and the lecturers provide patient and detailed answers, both to clarify the focus of the dispute and to give specific solutions in law. The course was a great opportunity for arbitrators and lawyers practicing in international arbitration to improve their theoretical and practical skills. All in all, the course was a great benefit and a rare opportunity. I would like to see more courses like this offered by CIETAC.

——Li Chenglin, CIETAC Arbitrator 

In the times of diving into the ocean of CISG, the knowledge at your fingertips and the dense points of information are helpful for both the new hands and experienced practitioner. You provide the space for all to grow in knowledge and professional intuition, thank you!

——Lilia Klochenko, CIETAC Arbitrator and Attorney

The CISG course provided by CIETAC has invited the most renowned scholars in the field of CISG, and each of them is well prepared for the course topic. They do not limit to the interpretation of the provisions, but also refer to plenty of practical cases, combining the theory and the practice, which is more conducive to a deeper understanding of the connotation of the law and practical points. Participants are having a more intuitive understanding of the practical application of CISG, which greatly contributes to the extension of our perception and the improvement of practical skills.

——Xu Kaiting, the student of the Law School of Fudan University

I was lucky enough to have the experience with CIETAC this fall. I was a novice who knew nothing about CISG and international commercial arbitration until three months ago, but now I started to consider international arbitration as my future direction. CIETAC, with its top-notch lecturers and substantial learning resources, ignited my passion for arbitration and made me step across the shadow of the fire to pursue a broader world beyond the cave. In addition, I would like to express my special thanks to the senior lawyers in the CISG study group for the encouragement and attention they gave. The time I spent learning at CIETAC is destined to become an unforgettable memory in my study career. I am grateful for my encounter with CIETAC!

——Liu Yige, the student of the Law School of Central University of Finance and Economics and the participant of the 20th “CIETAC Cup” International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court

During the course, the comprehensive knowledge points and intensive output engendered great enthusiasm among the participants. They closely followed and interacted with the lecturers on the classes, and organized their notes in time to consolidate the new knowledge. A variety of study notes were created:

CIETAC International Arbitration Institute aims to systematically train foreign-related commercial and arbitration legal talents with both practical and theoretical skills from an international perspective, provide intellectual support for China to further promote the international business cooperation, build up the reserve of international commercial legal talent, and become the favorable seat of international arbitration.

After the end of the course, CIETAC International Arbitration Institute will continue to develop other specialized arbitration courses and maximize its advantage as a comprehensive research platform. Please stay tuned.