November 24, 2025, the 2025 Yangtze River Delta International Commercial Arbitration Practice Forum (Construction Engineering Edition), supported by CIETAC, successfully concluded in Shanghai. The forum was jointly hosted by the Shanghai Arbitration Commission (SHAC)  and the Shanghai Bar Association , with support from CIETAC and the Hongqiao Overseas Development Service Center . It was organized by Allbright Law Office s and co-organized by the Shanghai Arbitration Association' s Construction Engineering and Real Estate Research Committee , the Shanghai Bar Association's Yangtze River Delta Lawyers' Integration Promotion Committee , and the Shanghai Bar Association's Construction Engineering and Infrastructure Professional Committee. The forum focused on the practical dispute resolution in the construction engineering field, aiming to provide professional legal guarantees for enterprises' domestic and international development.

Gu Yan, Vice President of the CIETAC Arbitration Court, Zhang Chengbin, Secretary of the party committee of SHAC, and Gu Gongyun, Director of Allbright Law Office, respectively delivered opening remarks.

Zhang Chengbin stated that he looks forward to an in-depth analysis of the current practical aspects of construction arbitration and the compliance operation and risk management of construction enterprises through this special discussion. He also hopes to directly address the real challenges faced by Chinese construction enterprises in going global, jointly explore solutions, pool wisdom, and assist Chinese enterprises in achieving steady and far-reaching development overseas.

Gu Yan pointed out that construction disputes have the characteristics of long duration, strong professionalism, and wide coverage. An efficient and professional dispute resolution mechanism is crucial for ensuring the smooth implementation of the project and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the parties involved. He highlighted several initiatives and accomplishments of the CIETAC in the field of construction arbitration, including handling a large number of complex construction cases, accumulating rich practical experience; promoting rule innovation, formulating and effectively implementing the "Construction Disputes Review Rules"; building a more professional team, cultivating internationalized and diversified arbitrator resources; continuously publishing annual reports and typical cases on Construction arbitration to promote the standardized development of the Construction industry. He also pointed out that CIETAC has established branches to provide convenient dispute resolution services for parties nearby and is committed to enhancing regional service capabilities, helping Shanghai build a global Asia-Pacific arbitration center. Gu Yan emphasized that CIETAC is willing to use this forum as a platform to deepen cooperation with all colleagues and jointly promote the high-quality development of construction arbitration practice.

Gu Gongyun shared his practical observations in the field of construction engineering business, discussed the significant role that the arbitration mechanism can play in government infrastructure projects and the current delays, and called for more government infrastructure projects to be included in the arbitration scope, with arbitration clauses stipulated to leverage the advantages of arbitration.

During the special discussion session on "Domestic Construction Engineering Practice", Xu Haifeng, the director of Shanghai Arbitration Association's Construction Engineering and Real Estate Research Committee and the chief counsel of Shanghai Construction Group  shared his views on the topic of "The Value and Application of the Expert Assistant System in Construction Engineering Dispute Cases". He briefly described the definition and legislative evolution of the expert assistant system, summarized the differences between expert witnesses and expert assistants from multiple perspectives, emphasized the value and role of the expert assistant system in construction cases, and finally shared practical key points in the actual cases.

Zhao Hang, an arbitrator of CIETAC and senior consultant of Commerce ＆ Finance Law  Offices, shared his insights on the topic of "Some Thoughts on Key Issues in Construction Project Disputes in Arbitration ". He combined the annual reports of CIETAC and other arbitration institutions to brief on the hot issues in construction project disputes from 2024 to 2025. He also conducted in-depth analyses on key topics such as the arbitration proceedings if construction contracts are invalid, the validity of back-to-back clauses, the application of judicial interpretations in arbitration, and the practical differences between the arbitration tribunal's appointment of an appraiser and the submission of expert opinions by the parties.

Ouyang Jinying, the secretary-general of SHAC’s Construction Engineering Arbitration Court, shared with the topic of "Observation and Analysis of Construction Engineering Arbitration Practice", based on the institution’s data, revealing the continuous growth trend of construction engineering cases. She pointed out that the non-standard contractual provisions were the primary cause of such disputes, and analyzed new focus issues such as debt transfer and priority of the construction project. She also shared the "mediation + arbitration" mechanism and provided practical suggestions.

Li Yu, the director of Finance and Development Planning Department of SHAC, moderated the panel discussion. Song Ancheng, a senior partner of Allbright Law Offices, Wang Junying, the director of the Legal and Contract Center of Suzhou Golden Mantis Architectural Decoration Co., Ltd. , Wang Zhenlin, the assistant general manager of Shanghai MCC20 Construction  Co., Ltd. and the chairman of Changsha Zhongye Pipeline Construction Company , Yang Youyan, the general counsel of China Construction Eighth Engineering DIVISION Co., Ltd. , and Zhang Chao, the general counsel of MCCS group Shanghai  Co., Ltd., participated in the panel. They focused on core topics such as the selection strategies for dispute resolution mechanisms in the domestic construction field, the standardized design of arbitration clauses, and the difficulties in enterprise compliance management and risk control. They engaged in in-depth discussions and reached many valuable conclusions and insights.

During the Topic Discussion Session on "International Construction Project Practice", Feng Kai, the General Counsel and the General Manager of the Risk Management Department of Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co., Ltd. , delivered a speech on "Preventing Legal Risks in Overseas Operations of International Engineering Enterprises". He systematically introduced the overseas business layout and development path of the enterprise, and took China Hong Kong, and Macao as examples to outline the compliance key points and legal risk prevention system in overseas operations. In addition, he analyzed the core risks under various contract models, combined with the cases of Extension of Time Claim and subcontractor disputes in different legal jurisdictions, and discussed the response strategies for contract risks.

Cui Jun, an arbitrator of the CIETAC and Chairman of Beijing Overseas Junhe Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd ., delivered a keynote presentation on "Observations on International Engineering Risks and Hotspot disputes" He commenced by providing a systematic overview of the political, contractual, and managerial risks international engineering projects confront. Subsequently, he analyzed the evolution of contractual models such as EPC and the risk allocation mechanisms within the FIDIC contract framework. Through case studies, Mr. Cui elaborated on the interpretation and application of key clauses, particularly focusing on the Time Bar and the definition of Variations. Furthermore, he briefly outlined the distinctive characteristics of disputes in new energy projects and offered forward-looking insights into the emergence and development of novel contentious issues, including compliance and ESG.

The subsequent roundtable discussion was chaired by Gong Shaoyang, the deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Sub-commission of the CIETAC. The speakers included Lu Hongbo, the general counsel and general manager of the Legal Affairs and Contracts Department of China Construction Seventh Engineering Division Corp., Ltd ., Wang Xiaonan, the legal director of Alibaba Group , Wang Junjun, the deputy chief economic manager and manager of the Legal Compliance and Risk Management Department of China State Construction Overseas Development Co., Ltd.,  Wang Fang, a senior partner of Allbright Law Offices, and Zhang Yan, the general counsel of Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute (Group) Co., Ltd.,  They engaged in in-depth discussions on two major dimensions: the full-cycle risk prevention for international engineering projects and the Chinese strategies for cross-border dispute resolution. This provided practical legal path references for enterprises to move from "dispute resolution" to "dispute prevention" and from "passive response" to "active management" during their "going global" process.

At the closing session of the forum, Zhu Linhai, the chief supervisor of the Shanghai Bar Association and a senior partner of Allbright Law Offices, delivered the closing speech. He suggested that through this forum, a methodology of "updating cognition in practice, consolidating experience in disputes, and enhancing trust through cooperation" should be formed, in order to build a more mature, transparent, efficient, and internationalized construction project dispute resolution ecosystem. This forum was moderated by Zhang Chenyang, a lawyer from Allbright Law Offices.

As a supporting organization of this forum, CIETAC remains committed to advancing the application and development of arbitration in construction projects and other specialized fields. CIETAC has refined its rules system, enhanced service quality, and deepened international exchanges to provide independent, impartial, and efficient arbitration services to parties from China and abroad. Moving forward, CIETAC will continue leveraging its professional expertise and platform role in international commercial arbitration. By collaborating with all relevant parties, we aim to establish a more mature, internationalized, and professional dispute resolution ecosystem. This will help ensure the domestic and international development of construction enterprises.