On the afternoon of 19 November 2024, an international arbitration seminar on “Leading International Dispute Resolution along the Middle Corridor” was jointly organized by China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) and Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Court and International Arbitration Centre (IAC) in Astana, Kazakhstan. Gu Yan, Vice President of the Arbitration Court of CIETAC and Christopher Campbell-Holt, Registrar and CEO of AIFC Court and IAC attended the event and delivered speeches. Nearly 100 Kazakhstan arbitrators, corporate legal officers, lawyers, scholars, representatives from the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan and Chinese enterprises attended the seminar. 

(Speech delivered by CEO Christopher Campbell-Holt)

The CEO Christopher Campbell-Holt expressed his welcome and gratitude for CIETAC delegation’s visit to Kazakhstan and the joint effort in this international seminar. He briefly introduced the establishment process and organizational structure of the AIFC Court and IAC, noting that AIFC was an independent judicial jurisdiction based on British legal principles and a major reform initiative of Kazakhstan aimed at attracting international investment by applying common law and international best practices and promoting investors’ confidence. Since the cooperation agreement concluded in 2019 with CIETAC, AIFC-IAC has maintained a long-term good cooperative relationship with CIETAC. He looked forward to enhancing cooperation between the two institutions through this seminar and promoting exchanges of arbitration laws and practices between China and Kazakhstan. 

(Speech delivered by Vice President Gu Yan) 

Vice President Gu Yan expressed in his opening remarks that Kazakhstan was the original initiator of the Belt and Road Initiative and had a special status and significant influence in international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2019, CIETAC signed a cooperation agreement with the AIFC-IAC and established a friendly cooperative relationship. He expressed his gratitude to the AIFC Court and IAC for their active promotion and support of this international symposium. He pointed out that since 2013, CIETAC had handled cases involving all countries along the Belt and Road, and specifically introduced the cases involving Kazakhstan parties, the cases handled by arbitrators from Kazakhstan at CIETAC where the parties agreed to apply Kazakhstan laws, and the recognition and enforcement of CIETAC awards in Kazakhstan. Vice President Gu Yan also introduced the basic situation, case acceptance, and business development of CIETAC, the features of the latest Arbitration Rules, the panel of arbitrators, the construction of its smart platform, and the global network layout of CIETAC. He stated that CIETAC was very willing to work with all its friends to provide high-quality and efficient diversified dispute resolution services, to serve the dispute resolution in the Central Corridor, to contribute legal force to the healthy and orderly development of China-Central Asia economic and trade cooperation, and to promote the deepening and consolidation of the Belt and Road Initiative. 

(Speakers in the discussion session, from left to right are: Zhou Guangjun, Gulnur Nurkeyeva, Chen Zhaohui, Sergei Vataev and Christopher Campbell-Holt)

The discussion session was moderated by Christopher Campbell-Holt, Registrar and CEO of AIFC Court and IAC. Chen Zhaohui, Secretary General of CIETAC Fujian Sub-commission, introduced the legal system of China’s commercial arbitration and the development trends reflected in the recent amendments to China’s Arbitration Law, focusing on the highlights and latest developments of the 2024 CIETAC’s Arbitration Rules. Sergei Vataev, a board member of the Kazakhstan Arbitration Association and CIETAC arbitrator, mainly introduced the development of Kazakhstan’s arbitration system and related institutional arbitration rules and shared his successful experience in serving as an arbitrator in both China and Kazakhstan. Gulnur Nurkeyeva, Managing Partner and Head of Beijing Office of Grata International Law Firm (“Grata Law Firm”), mainly introduced her successful experience in applying for the recognition and enforcement of international arbitration awards in Kazakhstan, including CIETAC awards, and the challenges faced. Zhou Guangjun, Director of Beijing Xindali Law Firm and CIETAC arbitrator, analyzed from the perspective of Chinese enterprises or lawyers the advantages that Kazakhstan had in becoming the arbitration center of Eurasia. 

(The Seminar on site)

After the seminar, participants generally felt that it had helped enhance their understanding of the arbitration legal systems in China and Kazakhstan, promote exchanges and cooperation in arbitration legal circles between the two countries, and look forward to more exchanges and sharing in the future. The delegates also engaged in extensive exchanges with the Chinese and foreign participants. The seminar was deemed a resounding success.