On September 10, Nanjing Session of 2025 China Arbitration Week “Seminar on Innovation and Development in Commercial Arbitration and the Cultivation of Foreign-Related Legal Talents” was successfully held in Nanjing. The event was organized under the guidance of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Jiangsu Sub-council (CCPIT Jiangsu Sub-council)  and jointly organized by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission Jiangsu Arbitration Centre (CIETAC Jiangsu Centre) and Nanjing Lawyers Association . It was co-organized by the Jiangsu International Commercial Legal Service Center, the Jiangsu Enterprise Legal Work Association , Law School of Nanjing University , the School of Law of Southeast University , School of Law of Nanjing Normal University , and Jiangsu BST Law Office , among other institutions. Gu Yan, Vice President of CIETAC Arbitration Court and Secretary-General of the CIETAC Jiangsu Centre, Wang Shanhua, Secretary of Party Leadership Group and President of the CCPIT Jiangsu Sub-Council, and Xu Xiaobing, Vice President of the Nanjing Lawyers Association, addressed the opening session. The event was moderated by Tang Yinhong, Deputy Secretary-General of the CIETAC Jiangsu Center.

(Tang Yinhong, Deputy Secretary-General of the CIETAC Jiangsu Center)

Vice President Gu Yan in his speech introduced CIETAC’s efforts in promoting the internationalization, modernization, and professionalization of Chinese arbitration, as well as the achievements made in arbitration rules innovation, digitalization, and foreign-related legal talent cultivation. He addressed the highlights of the CIETAC Jiangsu Centre since its establishment, particularly its achievements in handling cases, especially foreign-related cases, as well as its active engagement in international exchange and cooperation. He noted that strengthening the rule of law in foreign-related matters is a key task in promoting high-level opening-up in the new era, and that international commercial arbitration is an indispensable component of the foreign-related rule-of-law system, with its importance in supporting high-quality economic and social development becoming increasingly prominent. Since its establishment, CIETAC has continuously explored innovative approaches in providing foreign-related commercial arbitration services and cultivating foreign-related legal talent. He expressed the hope for future collaboration with arbitration community, the judiciary, the legal profession, and academia in Jiangsu to build a practice-oriented cultivation system for foreign-related legal talent, enabling more outstanding talents to emerge in Jiangsu and establishing the province as a hub for foreign-related legal services.

(Gu Yan, Vice President of CIETAC Arbitration Court and Secretary-General of the CIETAC Jiangsu Center)

President Wang Shanhua stated in his speech stated that, arbitration is a critical safeguard for enterprises in coping with international trade and economic risks. As a major province in both economic strength and openness, Jiangsu currently hosts a substantial volume of foreign trade and investment, with market entities increasingly engaged in international operations, placing higher demands for high-quality, internationalized arbitration services.

CCPIT Jiangsu Sub-Council will earnestly implement the relevant work requirements of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government on supporting the development of the legal services industry, further intensify the promotion of arbitration concepts, actively expand exchanges with domestic and foreign arbitration institutions, optimize commercial legal services, continue to play its bridging role in connecting government and enterprises, linking domestic and international sectors, and facilitating supply and demand, thereby promoting the high-quality development of foreign-related arbitration in Jiangsu.

(Wang Shanhua, Secretary of Party Leadership Group and President of the CCPIT Jiangsu Sub-Council)

Vice President Xu Xiaobing in his remarks affirmed the remarkable achievements made by the CIETAC Jiangsu Centre since its establishment and highlighted the advantages of commercial arbitration in resolving social disputes and promoting economic and trade development. He also expressed his expectations for the future cultivation of foreign-related legal talents and development of the commercial arbitration in the new era.

(Xu Xiaobing, Vice President of the Nanjing Lawyer Association)

Subsequently, the CIETAC Jiangsu Centre, together with the Department of Legal Affairs of the CCPIT Jiangsu Sub-Council, signed the “Cooperative Agreement on Collaborative Cultivation of Foreign-Related Legal Talents” with Law School of Nanjing University, the School of Law of Southeast University, School of Law of Nanjing Normal University.

(Signing Ceremony)

During the keynote speech session, Peng Yue, Dean of the Law School of Nanjing University, delivered a speech titled “Adapting to the Times, Responding to Trends: The Cultivation of Foreign-Related Legal Talents in China.” He introduced the evolution of China’s demand for foreign-related legal professionals and the corresponding training models from the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China to the current new era, analyzed the relationship between national development and talent cultivation across different historical stages, and profoundly elucidated the necessity of “adapting to the times” and the general direction of “responding to trends” of foreign-related legal talent cultivation at each historical stage. 

He also shared his vision for future collaboration between university legal education and practical departments to achieve a practice-oriented cultivation model for foreign-related legal talent.

(Peng Yue, Dean of Nanjing University Law School and Doctoral Supervisor)

Ge Huangbin, CIETAC Arbitrator and Director of LVM Law Chambers , delivered a keynote speech titled “Frontier Issues in International Arbitration from the Perspective of the 2024 CIETAC Arbitration Rules: Institutional Responses and Practical Observations.” He noted that, since modern times, the practice of chambers of commerce in dealing with transaction disputes has laid such important cultural foundation for China’s commercial arbitration as the respect for party autonomy and commercial custom. Structured with a chamber of commerce, CIETAC has fully leveraged the spirit of mediation rooted in eastern traditions on the basis of inheriting valuable cultural foundation of commercial arbitration, thereby offering dispute resolution solutions that are better aligned with commercial needs for both domestic and international parties. The 2024 CIETAC Arbitration Rules introduced advanced mechanisms such as early dismissal procedure and emergency arbitrator procedure with which an emergency arbitrator is empowered to order interim measures. CIETAC contributes to make China a preferred venue for international commercial arbitration. He also offered practical and effective guidance for enterprises on how to draft dispute resolution clauses in commercial contracts.

(Ge Huangbin, CIETAC Arbitrator and Director of LVM Law Chambers)

Yu Wenjie, Associate Professor of the School of Law of Southeast University, gave a presentation titled “New Developments in International Investment Arbitration: Innovations in Rules and Practice.” She introduced the rule-making for international investment arbitration by Chinese arbitration institutions, with CIETAC as a representative. Through an analysis of the systems, cases, and statistical data, she noted that international investment arbitration is currently experiencing a rapid growth, and Chinese investors are increasingly motivated to apply investment arbitration as a means to safeguard their rights and interests. This created an urgent demand for foreign-related legal professionals who possess both a strong sense of national sentiment and an international perspective, as well as expertise in legal knowledge and international governance rules. She underscored that cultivating more outstanding foreign-related legal talent is essential for advancing the development of China’s arbitration.

(Yu Wenjie, Associate Professor of the School of Law of Southeast University)

Yao Bin, CIETAC Arbitrator and Senior Partner at Jiangsu BST Law Office, delivered a presentation on “Characteristics, Causes, and Responses to International Economic and Trade Disputes in Jiangsu Province.” He outlined the development trends of Jiangsu’s export-oriented economy, interpreted typical cases foreign-related arbitration and litigation cases within the province, and shared practical insights on addressing common issues in legal application, jurisdiction and procedures.

(Yao Bin, CIETAC Arbitrator and Senior Partner at Jiangsu BST Law Office)

Wang Feng, CIETAC Arbitrator and Senior Partner/Managing Partner of Shanghai United Law Firm , delivered a speech titled “Integrating Internal and External Experiences, Preserving the Core while Expanding Innovation: Foreign-Related Legal Practice from a Lawyer’s Perspective.” Through Socratic questioning approach, he inspired attendees to contemplate the qualities that foreign-related legal talent should possess. He emphasized that, in increasingly diversified legal service scenarios, legal practitioners need to continuously enhance their language skills, integrate knowledge of both Chinese and foreign legal systems, and consistently strengthen their professional competence in order to better meet the complex demands of foreign-related legal services.

(Wang Feng, CIETAC Arbitrator and Senior Partner / Managing Partner of Shanghai United Law Firm)

The event focused on international hot topics in commercial arbitration and the cutting edge of cultivating foreign-related legal talent. It provided multidimensional insights and channels for international exchange for advancing the construction of Jiangsu as a pilot zone in high-quality development of foreign-related legal services, as well as the broader growth of the legal services sector in Jiangsu and neighboring regions. The event attracted more than 100 participants, including faculty and students from law schools in Nanjing, experts, lawyers, and corporate legal counsel.

(event site)