From February 4 to 5, 2026, Chen Yusi, Deputy Director of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission（CIETAC） Domestic Case Division, led a delegation to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for a series of arbitration and legal exchange activities, in order to further Sino-Saudi cooperation in commercial dispute resolution and to provide support for the economic and trade exchanges under the Belt and Road Initiative and the overseas development of Chinese-funded enterprises.

On February 4, the CIETAC delegation was invited to attend the Fifth International Conference and Exhibition of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA). Jointly organized by United Nations Commission on International Trade Law（UNCITRAL）and SCCA，this conference was themed on “Predictable Dispute Resolution in Uncertain Times”, and served as one of the main events of the Riyadh International Dispute Resolution Week (RIDW) 2026, bringing together around 600 professionals in dispute resolution from all over the world to explore industry developments and cooperation opportunities. 

（Photo of the CIETAC delegation and Hamed Hassan Merah, CEO of SCCA ）

During the conference, Deputy Director Chen Yusi had a discussion with Hamed Hassan Merah, CEO of SCCA, and extended sincere congratulations on the successful convening of this international conference. Chen and Merah reviewed past reciprocal visits and the fruitful outcomes since the signing of cooperation agreements between the two institutions and reached a consensus on continuously deepening collaboration. Meanwhile, the CIETAC delegation engaged in extensive exchanges with conferees from legal, industrial and business communities, highlighting CIETAC’s recent achievements in case statistics, innovations in its Arbitration Rules, and the internationalization of its team of arbitrators. These efforts have further strengthened CIETAC’s international character and improved its global brand influence.  

（The CIETAC Delegation engaged in exchanges with attendees）

On the morning of February 5, the CIETAC delegation paid a visit to a prestigious local law firm, Mohammed Al Dhabaan & Partners Eversheds Sutherland, and conducted a discussion on arbitration practice with its Partners, John Kemkers and Mostafa M Ihab. Fei Jia, CIETAC arbitrator & International Partner of King & Wood Mallesons, and Li Tianren, Partner of King & Wood Mallesons, also attended the meeting. 

During the meeting, Chen Yusi briefed on CIETAC’s recent achievements in advancing the internationalization of its arbitration services and the commercial legal service system provided by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). The CIETAC delegation and the partners had an in-depth and multifaceted discussion on important issues, including the legal and regulatory environment of Saudi Arabia, commonly-seen legal risks encountered by Chinese-funded enterprises in their overseas investments, and the latest practices and trends in Sino-Saudi commercial dispute resolution, thereby accumulating valuable experience for CIETAC to better address dispute resolution needs in Saudi Arabia.

（The CIETAC delegation visited Mohammed Al Dhabaan & Partners Eversheds Sutherland ）

On the afternoon of February 5, the CIETAC delegation held a training seminar for Chinese-funded enterprises in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, providing thematic training on the development of Chinese arbitration, and potential issues when signing arbitration clauses. Representatives from SEPCOIII, the Second Branch Office of China Construction Arabia Co., Ltd, the Saudi Arabia Branch of CPECC, Zhongmei International Group Ltd, Decai Group and other Chinese-funded enterprises based in Saudi Arabia, actively participated in the seminar.

During the Seminar, Chen Yusi briefed about CIETAC’s latest achievements in internationalization, presented main advantages owned by arbitration as a dispute resolution method and practical points to be considered when negotiating arbitration clauses, and illustrated CIETAC’s extensive experience in handling cross-border disputes under the Belt and Road Initiative through demonstration of typical cases. He encouraged enterprises to actively leverage the resources and strengths of professional arbitration institutions like CIETAC to appropriately resolve their commercial disputes. Drawing upon their operational practice in Saudi Arabia, the attending representatives shared the challenges and pain points in legal risk prevention and expressed their actual demands in dispute resolution. The CIETAC delegation and attendees thoroughly exchanged views on how to utilize commercial arbitration to mitigate overseas operation risks and effectively protect companies’ legal rights and interests. The representatives commented that this seminar had helped them acquire the knowledge and key points of appropriately designing dispute resolution clauses, while enhancing their awareness and capabilities to apply arbitration mechanism to avoid risks, enabling them to fully appreciate the important role played by CIETAC in properly resolving cross-border disputes and ensuring enterprises’ success in “going global”.       

（The Seminar）

Ge Junyu, Case Manager of the CIETAC Supervision and Coordination Division, also participated in the aforementioned events.