On 14 December 2016, the 16^th Seminar on the Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Arbitration jointly organized by CIETAC and Chinese Arbitration Association, Taipei (CAA) was held in Taipei. A Mainland delegation of economic and trade arbitration was organized by CIETAC to the seminar which was composed of well-known arbitrators and lawyers from Mainland China. Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of CIETAC Mr. Wang Chengjie and Director-General of CAA Mr. Li Fudian attended and addressed the seminar. Over 100 representatives from the legal academic community, business community and arbitration institutions of Mainland China and Taiwan attended the seminar.

Mr. Li Fudian welcomed the delegation in his speech, highly appreciated the achievement of the cooperation and exchange between CIETAC and CAA, and hoped that the seminar will contribute to enhancing the participants’ understanding of relevant issues in the field of arbitration.

Mr. Wang Chengjie stated in his speech that economic globalization is the trend of world development today. As an extremely effective legal approach of alternative economic and trade dispute resolution, arbitration is playing an increasingly important role in the global economic activities. The development of cross-strait economic and trade relationship is a part of economic globalization and the result of the allocation of global and regional resources jointly participated by Mainland China and Taiwan. As the most well-known arbitration institutions cross the strait, the enhancement of cooperation between CIETAC and CAA would absolutely promote the continuous development of cross-strait economic and trade relationship. Wang made the following three suggestions in his speech.

The first one was to consolidate the common view of cooperation, promote the institutionalized development of cross-strait arbitration and further strengthen the design and building of the brand of cross-strait seminar.

The second one was to establish a cooperative mechanism that jointly handles  problems faced by cross-strait arbitration. The Arbitration Center Across the Straits was willing to build a practical cooperative platform, realize the cross-strait cooperation and management mechanism and jointly provide arbitration services for parties across the Straits.

The third one was to push forward the informatization construction and promote a win-win situation in the hope that Mainland China and Taiwan will explore together the “Internet + Arbitration” management method through further enhancement of exchange and cooperation.

Based on the hot issues in the field of cross-strait economic and trade arbitration in recent years and the need of future cross-strait exchange and cooperation against the background of the Belt and Road strategy, the seminar initiated discussions on the subjects of interim measures, evidence investigation, comparison between the financial arbitration practice of Mainland China and Taiwan and the new trend of development of the cross-strait arbitration under “the Belt and Road” strategy. The cross-strait experts shared insightful thoughts and practical opinions, which increased the consensus of the cross-strait legal communities on relevant issues in the field of arbitration.

CIETAC and CAA started to jointly organize the Seminar on the Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Arbitration in 2001, which is held in Mainland China and Taiwan by turn. Through long-term endeavor, the Seminar on the Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Arbitration has become a platform for the exchange and cooperation between the cross-strait communities of professionals in the field of arbitration, law and business and has played a significant role in promoting the positive development of the cross-strait economic and trade relationship.