On December 2, 2022, the 20th CIETAC Cup International Commercial Arbitration Moot (“CIETAC Cup”) organized by China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (“CIETAC”) dropped its curtain with great success. After 201 fierce trials among 93 teams consisting of more than 1,000 domestic and foreign students, the Peking University team won the championship and the Renmin University of China team won the runner-up, gaining the glory for their respective schools.

(On the Spot of the Trials of the 20th CIETAC Cup)

In the Awards Ceremony & the 20th Anniversary of CIETAC Cup held that evening, Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CIETAC, delivered a speech on behalf of CIETAC, the organizer. First of all, he expressed gratitude to the teams and the arbitrators from various countries for overcoming so many difficulties to actively participate in the competition, and make wonderful performance, which contributes to the great success of the 20th CIETAC Cup. Looking back on the past 20 years, as Wang said, CIETAC has always adhered to the initial pursuit of training young legal talents, and has made innovation to the competition models constantly based on the experience accrued yearly. By continuously sponsoring the champion and runner-up teams of CIETAC Cup to go abroad to participate in international competitions, setting up CIETAC Cup Alumni Association, holding “Voice of Moot” Serial Training, etc. CIETAC Cup is increasingly professional and its global influence expands as a result. With the concerted efforts and participation of all parties, CIETAC Cup is the largest arbitration moot in China and becomes a well-known brand of domestic arbitration competition. Finally, Secretary General Wang Chengjie expressed warm congratulations to the winning teams and contestants.

(Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CIETAC, Delivered a Speech Online)

In order to encourage active participation, CIETAC Cup has set up levels of awards on team performance, the Best Written Memorandum aiming at strengthening document writing skills, and the Best Individual Oralist of different rounds. In the Awards Ceremony, representatives from 15 sponsoring law firms and media partners presented team awards such as the Second Runner-up, First Prize, Second Prize, Third Prize and Prize for Excellence, as well as various individual awards, to the participating teams and contestants. Tao Jingzhou, CIETAC Arbitrator, Member of International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court of China, Independent Arbitrator, Yang Liangyi, CIETAC Arbitrator, Member of International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court of China, Honorable Chairman of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, together with Sherlin Tung, President of Moot Alumni Association (MAA), Partner of Withersworldwide, formed the tribunal of the final round of the 20th CIETAC Cup. Bai Xianyue, CIETAC Arbitrator, Arbitrator of Ad Hoc Division of Court of Arbitration for Sports for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Game, Managing Partner of Grandall Law Firm (Tianjin), gave a speech on behalf of arbitrators, while Cao Lijun, CIETAC Arbitrator, Partner of Zhong Lun Law Firm, spoke as the Chairman of the Memo Committee. They all shared the view that CIETAC Cup has made great contributions to the cultivation of legal talents in China for the past 20 years. Thousands of students have improved their comprehensive abilities through participating in CIETAC Cup and started their legal career from it. It is hoped that CIETAC Cup will continue to play an important role in facilitating legal education reform in China and train more high-quality legal personnel. Contestants of the champion this year, the Peking University, and the runner-up, the Renmin University of China respectively delivered speeches. They thanked the platform set up by CIETAC Cup, which grants young legal professionals the opportunity to show themselves, cultivate their abilities in simulated practice, and grow up with exercise. Besides, they will continue to study hard, combine theoretical knowledge with practice, and better participate in the construction of the rule of law in China. The Awards Ceremony and 20th Anniversary of CIETAC Cup attracted more than 200,000 viewers online.

(From Top to Bottom and from Left to Right: Sherlin Tung, Tao Jingzhou, Yang Liangyi, Bai Xianyue, Cao Lijun)

This year, CIETAC Cup lasted for 5 days from November 28 to December 2, and attracted students from various countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as students from domestic universities. More than 230 Chinese and foreign arbitration experts from 27 countries and regions were invited as arbitrators to provide guidance to the contestants, which further showcased the professional and international features of CIETAC Cup.

(On the Spot of the Final Round of the 20th CIETAC Cup)

(On the Spot of the Semi-Final Round of the 20th CIETAC Cup)

This year marks the 20th anniversary of CIETAC Cup. In the past October, CIETAC called on the alumni of CIETAC Cup from all over the world to share their beautiful moments and unforgettable memories about CIETAC Cup. In the Awards Ceremony, CIETAC released a commemorative film for the 20th anniversary of CIETAC Cup. The precious video reminisces about the past CIETAC Cup moots and provides great inspiration for people to forge ahead.

Starting from the year 2000, CIETAC Cup has attracted a total of over 10,000 students from more than 200 colleges and universities in China and overseas to attend the competition and has drawn the attention of tens of thousands of young people from relevant law schools every year to study international commercial arbitration. Many team members have become top elites in various fields. They work in government agencies, domestic and foreign universities, well-known law firms, and Fortune 500 companies, being pillars of the society. With its pursuit of training legal talents in international trade law, promoting advanced arbitration concepts, and improving the reform and innovation of legal education in China, CIETAC Cup’s increasing influence has been recognized by official media including CCTV and was reported on the official website of the Ministry of Justice, which fully affirms its positive role in the field of foreign-related legal talents training.

As the earliest foreign-related arbitration institution established in China, CIETAC will make continuous efforts to perfect organizational models for CIETAC Cup, develop the CIETAC Cup Alumni Association, improve the Voice of Moot serial training program, and strengthen cooperation with universities and relevant departments, so as to train more sophisticated professional legal talents who are familiar with international legal rules and practice, and in turn make positive contributions to promoting the construction of foreign-related rule of law in China.