The 23rd CIETAC Cup International Commercial Arbitration Moot (CIETAC Cup), organized by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), was successfully held from November 28 to December 5, 2025. After 221 rounds of intense competition, the team from Shandong University  succeeded as the champion, with the East China University of Political Science and Law  team securing the runner-up position.

（Venue of the Final）

To further expand participation and global influence, this year’s competition continued in a hybrid format, combining online and offline rounds. A total of 103 universities from countries and regions including the United Kingdom, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and various provinces and cities across the China mainland sent over 1,000 participants. This year marked a milestone with the first-ever participation of a team from the United Kingdom in the elimination rounds in person, underscoring the event’s growing international appeal. The competition also engaged more than 270 legal experts, arbitrators, lawyers, scholars, and representatives from arbitration institutions across 27 countries and regions as judges, with strong support from 23 international arbitration institutions and numerous renowned law firms. The professionalism and internationalization of the event reached new heights.

The final round,  held on the afternoon of December 5, was presided over by Professor Stefan Kröll, Chairman of the German Arbitration Institute (DIS) and Professor for Bucerius Law School, who served as the presiding arbitrator. He was joined by Catherine Mun, Partner at Mun Lee Ming Law Firm and CIETAC Arbitrator, and Cao Lijun, Partner at Zhong Lun Law Firm and CIETAC Arbitrator.

The CIETAC Cup Award Ceremony was held on the evening of December 5. Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CIETAC, delivered a speech. Distinguished guests included Professor Stefan Kröll; Sherlin Tung, responsible person for Vis East Moot and Advisor at Withersworldwide;  and Navin G. Ahuja, Co-Chair of the Moot Alumni Association of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (the “MAA”) .

(Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CIETAC, addressing the Award Ceremony)

In his speech, Secretary-General Wang Chengjie warmly reflected on the 23-year journey of the CIETAC Cup. He noted that when the competition was first held in 2000, China was on the verge of joining the World Trade Organization , yet the field of foreign-related arbitration faced a severe shortage of talent. In response to the needs of the era and the nation, CIETAC, committed to advancing the high-quality development of China’s arbitration, introduced an international competition model to China for the first time. By adopting fully English Problem and international arbitration moot courts, the CIETAC Cup pioneered the cultivation of foreign-related arbitration talent in China. From its beginnings with six participating universities to today’s “hundred-school rivalry”, and from a local event in Beijing to one of global significance, the CIETAC Cup has become a vital platform for nurturing foreign-related legal talent in China. Over the past two decades, the competition has attracted more than 20,000 students from over 200 universities worldwide, with many outstanding alumni now serving as key contributors to China’s foreign-related legal system. He encouraged young students to uphold the spirit of the rule of law, hone their professional skills, and embrace the responsibilities of the times, urging them to pursue steady and long-term progress in their future legal careers. He also reaffirmed CIETAC’s commitment to further enhancing the competition’s international quality, professional standards, and educational impact, ensuring that the CIETAC Cup continues to deliver lasting value in talent development.

(Professor Stefan Kröll Delivering Speech at the Awards Ceremony)

In his address, Professor Stefan Kröll highlighted the CIETAC Cup as one of the most influential pre-moots within the global Vis Moot system. He emphasized its significant contribution to enhancing the practical arbitration skills and international competitiveness of young students in China and beyond. He noted that the competition’s professional, rigorous, and international characteristics align closely with the educational philosophy of the Vis Moot, providing an invaluable platform for participants worldwide and making it an indispensable part of the global Vis Moot framework. Professor Kröll expressed his gratitude to CIETAC for its long-standing support of the Vis Moot and looked forward to continued collaboration to further advance global arbitration education and youth talent development.

(Secretary General Wang Chengjie Presenting Awards to the Champion and Runner-Up Teams with the Final Arbitration Panel)

To encourage active participation, the CIETAC Cup this year set up various team awards, awards for Best Written Submission to strengthen writing skills, as well as individual honors such as the Best Oralist. Representatives from 18 sponsoring law firms and supporting institutions including Ms. Zhang Li, Partner at Tiger Partners , presented these awards to the participating teams and delivered speeches. They both stated that the CIETAC Cup has cultivated many arbitration legal talents with international perspectives and practical skills over the past 20 years, setting a positive example for legal education reform and arbitration talent development. Participants expressed that the competition provided a crucial opportunity to refine their abilities and broaden their horizons through international arbitration moots, which will significantly benefit their future contributions to foreign-related legal construction. The online live broadcast of the competition attracted over 1.09 million views in total, with the final round and awards ceremony alone drawing more than 800,000 real-time watches, reflecting growing public interest in the competition.

(Photos at the Competition Venue)

Against the backdrop of accelerating international exchanges and profound reshaping of the global governance system, the cultivation of high-quality foreign-related legal talents has become both a crucial reflection of national strategic capacity and a key support for advancing China’s higher-level opening up. Since its inception in 2000, the CIETAC Cup has consistently aligned itself with the broader national strategy of building a foreign-related legal framework, adhering to international standards and benchmarking against global arbitration practices. By introducing authoritative international case problems, fully simulating international commercial arbitration procedures, establishing the systematic “Voice of the CIETAC Cup” training series, and creating the open and collaborative “CIETAC Cup Alumni Association” exchange platform, the competition has continuously encouraged Chinese law schools to deepen theoretical teaching reforms, expand practical education pathways, and foster high-quality integration between higher education and international arbitration practice. Generations of young participants have broadened their global perspectives and refined their professional skills on the platform of the CIETAC Cup, emerging as a dynamic new force in China’s arbitration sector, foreign-related legal services, and the broader foreign-related legal system. Looking ahead, CIETAC will thoroughly review its experience in organizing the competition, uphold tradition while pursuing innovation, and further enhance the systematic, international, and professional quality of the CIETAC Cup. By developing a more robust talent cultivation model that integrates theory and practice, CIETAC aims to build a solid stepping stone for young legal talents to access the international stage, guiding them to showcase the caliber of Chinese youth, contribute Chinese wisdom, and amplify China’s voice within the global legal governance system. These efforts will inject enduring vitality into the development of a high-standard and highly effective foreign-related legal framework.