On November 20-22, 2024, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Committee Workshop on Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) was successfully held in Tokyo, Japan. Themed “Facilitating the Use of ODR under the APEC ODR Collaborative Framework and in Economies (including in Courts)”, the workshop lasted for three days in a hybrid mode. Nearly 40 experts and scholars in the field of ODR from government departments, dispute resolution organizations and academia across China, Hong Kong SAR, the United States, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Canada, Indonesia and other countries and regions participated in the workshop. China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), as one of the five present ODR service providers officially recognized under the APEC ODR mechanism, was invited to attend the workshop online and make a speech.

(Conference site)

The workshop held in-depth discussions on the implementation of the APEC ODR Collaborative Framework (the “Collaborative Framework”) and the use of ODR, explored the opportunities and challenges faced by APEC economies, shared the progress of the implementation of the Collaborative Framework and the practical experience of APEC ODR service providers, discussed the issues related to the expansion of the use of ODR from business-to-business (B2B) disputes to business-to-customer (B2C) disputes under the Collaborative Framework, the ISO ODR project and its possible collaboration with the Collaborative Framework, as well as the use of ODR in court proceedings; and also discussed the use of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies in ODR and the prospect of incorporating them into the Collaborative Framework, etc.

(Dr. Fan YANG, made a keynote speech on behalf of CIETAC)

Dr. Fan YANG, Secretary-General of CIETAC Online Dispute Resolution Center, made a keynote speech on behalf of CIETAC at the workshop, sharing CIETAC's exploration and practice in ODR, especially the efforts and services provided by CIETAC for the implementation of APEC ODR mechanism, giving reflections on the APEC ODR mechanism from the perspective of an ODR service provider, and putting forward suggestions for its future development. She said that the vitality of a mechanism lies in its application. Expanding the scope of application of the mechanism is one of the effective measures, which calls for the whole APEC ODR community, including the APEC Economic Committee, APEC economies, ODR service providers, academic experts, platform providers, neutral experts, parties and other stakeholders, etc., to make joint efforts to actively publicize and promote the application of the APEC ODR mechanism, so as to make it play its role to the fullest.

APEC ODR mechanism is initiated by APEC and established through the Collaborative Framework and Model Procedural Rules, aiming at resolving small B2B commercial disputes, especially cross-border disputes, through fast and low-cost ODR procedures, to promote the healthy development of the business environment in the Asia-Pacific region. As one of the first Chinese ODR service providers recommended by the Ministry of Justice under the Collaborative Framework, CIETAC has been actively participating in the co-construction and cooperation of the APEC ODR mechanism since 2022, and providing ODR services for B2B commercial disputes through an entirely online process of negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. For more detailed information about the APEC ODR service provided by CIETAC, please visit the APEC ODR platform of CIETAC (https://casettle.odrcloud.cn/CIETAC.html).