On February 11, 2026, Fu Zhixing, the assistant Secretary-General of CIETAC European Arbitration Centre, visited VIAC and a symposium was held between him and Anna Förstel-Cherng, the deputy Secretary-Ggeneral of VIAC. Later on February 13, Fu was invited to attend the 4th VIAC CAN Congress.

During the symposium on February 11, Fu focused on introducing latest developments of CIETAC and its European Arbitration Centre, and the positive role CIETAC has played in dispute resolution in Central and Eastern Europe He stated that in 2025, the number of cases managed by CIETAC reached 5,736, and the total amount of disputes exceeded CNY 200 billion, setting a new record. The internationalization of cases continues to increase, with 46% of the cases having obvious foreign-related factors, involving 97 countries and regions around the world. Among them, the disputes concerning Chinese enterprises’ investment and economic and trade activities in Central and Eastern Europe have increased significantly, which fully demonstrates that CIETAC has increasingly become one of the preferred dispute resolution institutions for cross-border commercial entities in the region.

Fu stated that since the establishment of CIETAC European Arbitration Centre in 2018, it has been committed to fulfilling three core functions, namely, “institution representation and promotion”, “local service support”, and “optimization of dispute resolution pathways”. While actively exploring the internationalization of Chinese arbitration, it has provided more diverse and convenient dispute resolution options for Chinese and European parties. He mentioned that 2026 marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Austria and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of CIETAC as well. He hoped to take this opportunity, leveraging the pro-arbitration environment in Vienna, to further deepen the long-term friendly cooperation with VIAC, and jointly optimize dispute resolution services in the region.

Anna Förstel-Cherng warmly welcomed Fu’s visit and briefly introduced VIAC’s recent operations. She recalled the the pleasant visit of the VIAC delegation to CIETAC last year and extended congratulations on the 70th anniversary of CIETAC’s establishment. Anna Förstel-Cherng highly praised CIETAC’s achievements in recent years, especially its significant role in international commercial dispute resolution involving China. She stated that with China’s increasingly frequent investment activities in Central and Eastern Europe, Vienna, as a neutral and efficient arbitration venue, has great potential to become the preferred dispute resolution center in the region. VIAC is willing to deepen cooperation with CIETAC and to jointly makeVienna a preferred venue for commercial dispute resolution between China and Europe.

 (Niamh Leinwather, on the right, VIAC Secretary-General)

On February 13, at the 4th VIAC CAN Congress, Fu, on behalf of CIETAC, had friendly exchanges with VIAC President Franz Schwarz, VIAC Secretary-General Niamh Leinwather, and many other legal professionals from around the world. During the event, Fu  sincerely invited the representatives to participate in the China Arbitration Summit to be held in September this year, to further enhance understanding and deepen communication and cooperation in the international arbitration community.