On the afternoon of March 8, the inauguration ceremony for the new offices of the Zhejiang Sub-Commission of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (“CIETAC”) and the symposium titled “International Arbitration Empowering the Real Economy: Practices in Resolving Commodity Trade Disputes under New Circumstances” were successfully held at the China Taiping Finance Tower in Hangzhou. The event was organized by the CIETAC Zhejiang Sub-Commission and co-hosted by the Lawyers Association of Zhejiang, the Zhejiang Merchcants Foreign-Related Legal Service Center, and the Hangzhou Commodity Investment and Trade Industry Alliance.

——Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at the New Location Marks a New Chapter——

Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of CIETAC, and Chen Sanlian, Full-time Vice President of the Lawyers Association of Zhejiang and Chairman of the Zhejiang Merchcants Foreign-Related Legal Service Center, delivered opening remarks at the event.

(Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of CIETAC, delivers opening remarks)

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Secretary-General Wang Chengjie began his remarks by extending sincere holiday greetings to the female guests in attendance. He stated that in 2025, a total of 230 female arbitrators at CIETAC participated in hearing cases, contributing a combined 2,056 appointments. With their rigorous, meticulous, and astute professional expertise, they have made irreplaceable contributions to resolving complex commercial disputes and advancing the development of China’s arbitration industry. On behalf of CIETAC, he expressed the highest respect to all female arbitrators and female legal professionals, thanking them for the warmth and strength they have brought to the arbitration profession. Secretary-General Wang Chengjie stated that Zhejiang, as a major economic and open province, harbors enormous demand for legal services. Over the past decade, the Zhejiang Sub-Commission has taken root in this vibrant region, starting from scratch and working closely with organizations such as the Lawyers Association of Zhejiang to gradually build a service network covering the entire province. The relocation represents not only an upgrade of offices facilities but also a comprehensive leap forward in service capacity and quality. He emphasized that as an arbitration institution established in 1956, CIETAC possesses unique advantages in serving the bulk trade sector, including rule-setting leadership, abundant professional resources, and the wide recognition and enforceability of its awards globally. He expressed his expectation that the Zhejiang Sub-Commission will integrate CIETAC’s high-quality resources with the needs of Zhejiang enterprises to create a benchmark for serving the real economy.

(Remarks by Chen Sanlian, Full-time Vice President of the Lawyers Association of Zhejiang and Chairman of the Zhejiang Merchcants Foreign-Related Legal Service Center)

Vice President Chen Sanlian extended his congratulations on the opening of the new offices of the Zhejiang CIETAC Sub-Commission and expressed his anticipation for deeper cooperation between the two parties in the future. He pointed out that against the backdrop of profound adjustments in the global economic landscape and heightened volatility in commodity markets, international arbitration has become both a “vital necessity” and a “shield” for safeguarding enterprises as they expand overseas. In light of the seminar's theme, he shared three insights: First, lawyers should become the first line of defense for corporate risk management, shifting from “putting out fires afterwards” to “preventing fires in advance.” Second, international arbitration relies on solid expertise; lawyers need to enhance core competencies such as the application of rules, evidence sorting, and cross-examination. The Provincial Lawyers Association is currently cultivating leading talents through international arbitration training programs. Third, arbitration institutions, business associations, and lawyers should jointly build an “ecosystem.” The Zhejiang CIETAC Sub-Commission, the Commodity Trade Alliance, the Provincial Lawyers Association, and the Zhejiang Business Foreign-Related Legal Service Center will strengthen collaboration in the future to jointly establish a new hub for foreign-related legal services in Zhejiang. He expressed his hope that the Zhejiang CIETAC Sub-Commission would take this relocation as an opportunity to move from the “West Lake Era” to the “Qiantang River Era,” and continue to write a new chapter in how international arbitration empowers the real economy.

(Inauguration ceremony for the Zhejiang Sub-Commission’s new headquarters; from left to right: Xu Lihua, Hu Gang, Li Yun, Chen Sanlian, Weng Guomin, and Tang Guohua)

Li Yun, Secretary-General of the Zhejiang CIETAC Sub-Commission; Hu Gang, Director of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Zhejiang Provincial Committee; and CIETAC arbitrators Weng Guomin, Chen Sanlian, Tang Guohua, and Xu Lihua jointly cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the new offices of the Zhejiang CIETAC Sub-Commission.

(New Location of the Zhejiang Sub-Commission)

The new offices of the Zhejiang CIETAC Sub-Commission are located on the 18th floor of Building 4, China Taiping Finance Tower, Qianjiang New City, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou. The new facility is divided into offices and public areas. The offices area effectively expands the workspace and storage capacity for case handlers and features new smart equipment, providing robust hardware support for the efficient advancement of case proceedings. The public area includes modern courtrooms, deliberation rooms, a multipurpose hall, a case filing office, and a waiting area for parties:

* Digital Arbitration Courtroom: This space deeply integrates paperless terminals, cloud desktop systems, smart trial platforms, and high-definition video interaction technology to create a fully integrated, end-to-end smart trial environment. It comprehensively meets the needs of trials across various scenarios, including online and offline, domestic and international, and multi-device settings.

* The Smart Conference Multifunction Hall is equipped with a smart trial host system, allowing flexible switching between small-to-medium-sized meeting rooms and standard courtrooms. A ceiling-mounted audio pickup and amplification system creates a free and refreshing meeting atmosphere.

* The warm and comfortable deliberation and reception areas not only feature ample natural light and unobstructed views of the Qiantang River but also ingeniously incorporate Hangzhou’s landscapes and bamboo motifs. These elements embody the principles of fairness, transparency, and impartiality in arbitration, as well as the goal of resolving disputes harmoniously.

——The Industry Discusses New Arbitration——

Following that, the seminar titled “International Arbitration Empowering the Real Economy: Practices in Resolving Commodity Trade Disputes Under New Circumstances” took place in a lively atmosphere. The seminar consisted of two sessions: keynote presentations and a roundtable discussion.

(Cui Jun, Wei Longyan, and Ma Zhihua delivered presentations on the theme of the first session)

In the keynote session, Wei Longyan, Senior Partner at Beijing Dacheng Law Offices, delivered a presentation titled “Selection of Arbitrators, Memorial vs. Pleading Style, and Procedural Orders in International Arbitration.” Drawing on data from Queen Mary University’s International Arbitration Survey Report, she analyzed the key considerations for parties in selecting arbitrators, the boundaries of communication during pre-appointment interviews, the differences between the two major pleading styles, and the application of procedural tools such as procedural orders, case management conferences, and the Redfern Form. Ma Zhihua, CIETAC arbitrator and  partner at DaHui Lawyers, focused on “The Selection of Factual Witnesses and Their Cross-Examination in International Arbitration.” Drawing on trial experience from the common law system, he analyzed the functional differences between factual witnesses and expert witnesses, and elaborated on core issues such as the considerations for witness selection, the preparation of witness statements, and strategic choices regarding direct and cross-examination. Cui Jun, CIETAC arbitrator and Chairman of Beijing Overseas Junhe Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd., delivered a presentation titled “Selection and Cross-Examination of Expert Witnesses in International Arbitration.” He systematically compared the differences between the expert witness systems in civil law and common law jurisdictions, emphasizing that expert witnesses must maintain neutrality. His presentation covered criteria for selecting experts, types of expert reports, methods of testifying in court, cross-examination techniques, and the importance of disclosing conflicts of interest.

(Roundtable discussion in Session 2; from left to right: Li Xuefei, Hu Ke, Mao Jian'er, Xu Danna, and Zhang Dayong)

The second Session was conducted in the form of a roundtable discussion. Mao Jian’er,  Third Class Senior Judge of the Ningbo International Commercial Court; Hu Ke, CIETAC arbitrator and partner at Jingtian & Gongcheng; Xu Danna, Head of Legal Affairs at Hangzhou CIEC Group; Zhang Dayong, partner at Commerce& Finance Law Offices; and Li Xuefei, CIETAC Brand Operations Manager and Senior Case Manager, discussed practical challenges in the resolution of commodity trade disputes. Drawing on their diverse perspectives as judges, arbitrators, representatives of arbitration institutions, lawyers, and corporate professionals, the panelists shared insights on topics including the criteria for piercing the corporate veil in cases labeled as “transactions nominally structured as sales but substantively loans” differences between arbitration and judicial practice, corporate compliance expectations, and considerations for choosing arbitration; Drawing on scenarios such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, they analyzed the substantive impact of geopolitical events on contract performance, discussed the criteria for determining force majeure, change of circumstances, and commercial risks, and offered recommendations from the perspectives of contract drafting and insurance arrangements; They exchanged views on issues such as the validity of title transfer in port delivery scenarios, the recognition of the property rights effect of warehouse receipts in “sale of the same goods to multiple parties” disputes, and performance disputes arising from changes in tariff policies; Analyze issues such as document production requests in disputes over losses from resale price differentials and whether new evidence submitted after an award constitutes fraud.

Against the backdrop of global geopolitical shifts, adjustments to industrial and supply chains, and volatility in the commodity market, this conference focused on new paths for international arbitration to serve the real economy, addressing the commodities industry’s practical concerns regarding legal protection. Over 60 representatives from the arbitration, judicial, legal, corporate, and academic sectors attended the event. Participants unanimously agreed that, as a globally recognized method of dispute resolution, international arbitration plays an increasingly important role in stabilizing market expectations, protecting corporate rights and interests, and optimizing the business environment.

——A Decade of Journey, A Decade of Renewal——

(Zhejiang Sub-Commission History Wall)

Since its official opening in March 2016 to today’s opening of the new offices, over the past decade, the CIETAC Zhejiang Sub-Commission has expanded its reach across northern and southern Zhejiang. It has transformed CIETAC’s service network in Zhejiang from a single office into a multi-tiered structure comprising a branch, offices, a hearing center, and a cooperation platform. The branch has introduced the concept of international arbitration to enterprises in Zhejiang, collaborated closely with local authorities to establish diversified dispute resolution mechanisms, and jointly cultivated legal professionals specializing in cross-border dispute resolution. In case management, the Branch has drawn upon and built upon the profound expertise and professional strengths accumulated by CIETAC over the past 70 years. By strictly adhering to rules, handling cases with diligence, and resolving disputes effectively, it has managed hundreds of commercial disputes involving international trade, construction projects, freight forwarding, and other sectors. Its awards and procedures have successfully passed judicial review by relevant courts both domestically and internationally, with not a single case having been set aside or refused enforcement to date.

With a new district, a new location, and a new decade ahead, the CIETAC Zhejiang Sub-Commission will continue to uphold its professional spirit and service philosophy, enhance its internationalization and professional standards, and further leverage CIETAC’s global resources. We are committed to providing more convenient, efficient, and professional arbitration services for enterprises in Zhejiang and the Yangtze River Delta region as they “go global,” thereby helping the region build a first-class business environment characterized by marketization, the rule of law, and internationalization.

(Event Venue)