On the morning of February 5, 2026, during the convening of the 20th Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Arbitration Symposium, Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission（CIETAC）, led a delegation to Taichung City to continue to conduct a series of cross-strait exchange programs. Together with Taiwan Chinese Arbitration Association, CIETAC co-held the “Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Arbitration Exchanges—Taichung City Forum”. A variety of institutions and organisations, including the Taichung Regional Office of Taiwan Chinese Arbitration Association, Taiwan Bar Association, Taichung Bar Association and Central Taiwan Attorneys Association, actively responded and warmly received the CIETAC delegation. The Taichung City Forum was a great success owing to the strong support and efforts by all stakeholders.  

Both Secretary-General Wang Chengjie and Wu Tzu-Sheng, Supervisor of Taiwan Chinese Arbitration Association and Vice President of Taiwan Bar Association, addressed the forum. Attendees included members of the CIETAC delegation; Lin Huan, Secretary-General of Taiwan Chinese Arbitration Association; representatives from Taichung Bar Association, including Ho Chung-Min, Vice President and President-elect, Wang Chih-Wen, Vice President, Shao-Kuei Wu, Former President, and many other Directors; Wu Kuang-Lu, Chairman of Central Taiwan Attorneys Association, along with its CEO, Managing Supervisor, Directors, and other key leaders of the Taichung attorney community. Over 30 representatives from the arbitration and attorney communities in Taichung and surrounding areas participated in the forum and positively engaged in exchanges.

（The forum site）

In his address, Secretary-General Wang Chengjie noted that, thanks to the active facilitation of colleagues in the cross-strait arbitration and legal communities, CIETAC had returned to Taichung City after 8 years. He expressed his deep appreciation for the profound friendship and unwavering passion for promoting exchanges. Yesterday, the 20th Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Arbitration Symposium concluded successfully in Taipei City, with fruitful outcomes and extraordinary meaning. The Taichung Forum serves as both a continuation and expansion of the popularization of cross-strait arbitration exchanges, once again demonstrating the shared aspiration of legal professionals on both sides of the strait to discuss arbitration development and jointly promote economic and trade cooperation. He further emphasized that, lawyers and arbitration are mutually empowered and deeply intertwined within the same professional community. On one hand, he noted, lawyers are participants, practitioners and end-to-end users of arbitration. They are also a major force and rising power in the development of arbitration, playing an indispensable role in improving arbitration mechanism, spreading arbitration culture and guiding arbitration practices. On the other hand, the continuous deepening of arbitration on both sides of the strait provides the lawyer community with a broad platform and solid foundation to expand its service areas. Subsequently, he expressed his hope that through this forum, both sides of the strait could further gather valuable insights, jointly explore ways to better serve clients on both sides and resolve disputes effectively, thereby strengthening the rule of law and arbitration in support of cross-strait economic and trade development. CIETAC is willing to cooperate with the lawyer communities on both sides of the strait to build synergy, create premium arbitration legal service hubs, improve service efficiency, and contribute to the formation of a cross-regional and cross-jurisdictional arbitration collaboration framework. By seizing development opportunities and deepening cross-strait exchanges and cooperation on the rule of law, CIETAC aims to co-create a trustworthy arbitration and legal ecosystem.             

（General-Secretary Wang Chengjie addressed the forum）

In his welcoming speech, Supervisor Wu Tzu-Sheng noted that, CIETAC, Taiwan Chinese Arbitration Association and the Taichung attorney community, as key institutions and organizations positively promoting cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, have built a vital bridge for strengthening the connection and cooperation in dispute resolution between cross-strait legal service communities. They have also played a crucial role in safeguarding the legal rights and interests of compatriots across the strait and promoting the orderly development of cross-strait economic and trade exchanges. He further stated that, CIETAC’s credibility and influence in international arbitration are well known to the Taiwan legal community, and its leading role in promoting cross-strait economic and trade arbitration exchanges is also widely recognized. Arbitration is an effective way to solve cross-strait economic and trade disputes. Therefore, it is important to constantly promote arbitration mechanisms and enhance cross-strait exchanges and cooperation in arbitration and law. This forum has received strong support from renowned lawyers, scholars and arbitrators in Taichung and has generated enthusiastic responses from the lawyer community. He eventually expressed his hope that, lawyers from both sides of the strait are supposed to take this opportunity to deepen exchanges and cooperate for mutual development, contributing their professional expertise to improving the quality and efficiency of cross-strait economic and trade cooperation and increasing the shared well-being of compatriots across the strait.         

（Supervisor Wu Tzu-Sheng addressed at the forum）

This forum was themed “Current Situation and Challenges of Digital Arbitration”. The attendees thoroughly exchanged views on key topics, including the application of rules for digital arbitration and its practices in reality, online dispute resolution and the future development of digital arbitration. Secretary-General Lin Huan delivered a speech on challenges brought by digital arbitration. He reviewed the evolving process of the digital development environment and, considering its current characteristics, highlighted ongoing controversies and challenges faced by digital arbitration on arbitrability and the characterization of digital agreements. He suggested that, lawyers should leverage their professional expertise in commercial transactions and optimize the design of arbitration clauses, therefore fully harnessing the advantages of arbitration in solving digital disputes. This approach, he noted, would help achieve the ultimate goals of preventing disputes and improving the efficiency of dispute resolution.     

（Secretary-General Lin Huan delivered a thematic speech）

Zhao Yun, Henry Cheng Professor in International Law and Associate Dean of Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong, as well as a neutral of CIETAC’s Online Dispute Resolution Center, by taking CIETAC’s successful practices in online dispute resolution and domain name dispute resolution mechanism as examples, briefed on diverse platforms currently available for online dispute resolution services, and shared frameworks regulating digital arbitration and online dispute resolution services at various levels. He suggested that, the arbitration communities of both sides of the strait should positively promote the creation of digital arbitration mechanisms and practical innovations to move closer to approach digital justice.

（Professor Zhao Yun delivered a keynote speech）

During the discussion session, Secretary-General Wang Chengjie highlighted CIETAC’s latest achievements in the construction of a digital institution, which has entered a new stage of integration and intelligence. He noted that, CIETAC has consistently embraced new challenges in the digital age with an open mind and proactive approach. For example, CIETAC has innovatively created its “digital presence” based on its official website, and built a high-level online dispute resolution platform, achieving paperless operations and fully online case management. Moreover, CIETAC has issued the first-ever Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Arbitration, later it launched the Joint Action Plan for Promoting the Development of International Arbitration in the Digital and Intelligent Era, which received broad support from 74 international organizations and dispute resolution institutions worldwide. Attendees highly praised CIETAC’s achievements in digitalization, and expressed hope that the cross-strait arbitration and legal communities would make joint efforts to empower cross-strait economic and trade arbitration with digital and intelligent tools, resolving cross-strait economic and trade disputes in a fair and efficient manner.  

The participants also exchanged opinions on topics regarding online arbitration, the use of artificial intelligence in arbitration and third-party funding. The forum had a lively atmosphere and reached extensive consensus. It is generally agreed that, strengthening exchanges is a shared aspiration and practical demand for the cross-strait arbitration and legal communities, while deepening cooperation is key to upgrading cross-strait arbitration services. Both sides of the strait should further break down barriers and enhance mutual learning, making arbitration services better facilitate cross-strait economic and trade exchanges and building a solid legal foundation for the improvement of cross-strait business environment.   

（Group photo of participants）

During its visit to Taichung, the CIETAC delegation was warmly received by the lawyer community of central Taiwan, had extensive and in-depth discussions with lawyers, scholars and arbitrators from Taichung and surrounding areas, and deeply felt the strong desire of Taiwan legal community on the conduction of cross-strait professional communications and regular exchanges, laying a solid foundation for enhancing cross-strait cooperation in arbitration.