On the morning of March 27, 2026, as an official partner of the 2026 Paris Arbitration Week, the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)  successfully held a special event themed "Arbitration Services for the Belt and Road Initiative: Comparison and Future Mutual Learning of Eastern and Western Arbitration Systems" in Paris, France. Supported by Jus Mundi and White & Case LLP , the event attracted nearly 150 professionals from the arbitration, legal and business sectors of China, France and other European countries to attend in-person, making it one of the most popular events at this year’s Paris Arbitration Week. 

(The meeting site)

Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of CIETAC, stated in his speech that the Paris Arbitration Week, as a highly influential and important exchange platform in the international arbitration field, has always been highly valued by CIETAC. Relying on such international stages, CIETAC has been actively strengthening extensive communication and in-depth interactions with the global arbitration community. As an official partner, CIETAC hosting this special seminar at the event, which focuses on the Belt and Road Initiative and the integrated development of Eastern and Western arbitration systems, bears important practical and contemporary significance. Combining the practical development of cross-border dispute resolution, he presented four core observations to the participants: the increasingly prominent role of arbitration systems, the growing complexity, high value and diversed types of cross-border disputes, the higher requirements by market entities on the professionalism and credibility of dispute resolution services, and the widespread consensus in the industry on deepening international arbitration cooperation. On this basis, he systematically introduced CIETAC’s fruitful results in the continuous optimization of case structure, steady improvement of internationalization level, and the extensive recognition and enforcement of its arbitration awards worldwide. He also highlighted various innovative measures taken by CIETAC to keep pace with the digital and intelligent development trend, proactively align with market demands and continuously enhance the level of professional services. He said that CIETAC will take this special event of the Paris Arbitration Week as an opportunity to further deepen the exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and European arbitration communities under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and jointly promote the high-quality development of the international arbitration cause through the mutual learning and coordination of Eastern and Western arbitration systems.

(Secretary-General Wang Chengjie delivering the opening speech)

The subsequent panel discussion was divided into two sessions. Many experts from the Chinese and foreign arbitration and legal circles conducted in-depth discussions on Topic 1: "Procedural Rules: Convergence and Innovation for Efficiency", which was moderated by Philip Dunham, Partner of Signature Litigation . The panelists included Tao Jingzhou, International Arbitrator and CIETAC Arbitrator; Lu Fei, Director of the Business Development Division  and Secretary-General of the European Arbitration Center of CIETAC; Noor Davies, Partner of White & Case LLP; and Sun Huawei, Senior Consultant of Zhong Lun Law Firm . The panelists had an in-depth exchange on the commonalities and differences of arbitration procedural rules in different jurisdictions, the role of procedural design in improving efficiency, and the development trends of international arbitration in the convergence and innovation of rules. The participating experts unanimously agreed that although arbitration systems in different jurisdictions have their own characteristics, there is a broad consensus on the pursuit of procedural justice and efficiency improvement, and there is further room for exchange, mutual learning and collaborative innovation in procedural rules and practices in the future.

(Panelists from left to right: Tao Jingzhou, Noor Davies, Sun Huawei, Lu Fei, Philip Dunham)

In the second panel discussion, the participants held in-depth deliberations on Topic 2: "The Path Forward: Synergy and Evolution through Technology, Governance and Cooperation", moderated by Christopher Chinn, Vice Chair of the European Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)  and CIETAC Arbitrator. The panelists included Peter Thorp, International Arbitrator and CIETAC Arbitrator; Alexandre Vagenheim, Vice President of Institutional and Legal Affairs at Jus Mundi ; and Lu Yahan, Deputy Director of the Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution Division of CIETAC . The panelists shared their views on the impact of technological development on arbitration practice, the Guidelines on the Use of AI in International Arbitration Proceedings released by CIETAC as the first mover in the Asia-Pacific region, and the future path of international arbitration cooperation. The participating experts generally believed that with the continuous development of artificial intelligence, digital platforms and cross-border cooperation mechanisms, international arbitration is evolving towards a more open, intelligent and collaborative direction. Promoting the coordinated development of technology empowerment, governance optimization and international cooperation will bring new opportunities and impetus to international arbitration under the background of the Belt and Road Initiative.

(Panelists from left to right: Peter Thorp, Lu Yahan, Alexandre Vagenheim,  Christopher Chinn)

The cooperation agreement signing ceremony was held at the event. Witnessed by all participants, CIETAC signed a cooperation agreement with the Mauritius International Arbitration Centre (MIAC) . As an important international arbitration hub in the Indian Ocean region and a key cooperation node of the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa and the Indian Ocean region, MIAC, as the core local arbitration institution, has rich practical experience and regional advantages in providing services for cross-border commercial dispute resolution in Africa and the Indian Ocean region. The signing of the agreement at the special event of the Paris Arbitration Week is an important measure for CIETAC to deepen the layout of the arbitration service network under the Belt and Road Initiative, a key link for the linkage and cooperation between the Chinese and African arbitration communities, and a concrete practice to promote the coordinated development of arbitration institutions along the Belt and Road Initiative based on the mutual learning of Eastern and Western arbitration systems.

(CIETAC and MIAC signing the cooperation agreement)

The seminar was held in a lively atmosphere with active exchanges among the participants. They generally agreed that the exchanges have further deepened their understanding of the development trends of arbitration under the Belt and Road Initiative and the differences and commonalities of legal practices between the East and the West, and also made them more intuitively aware of CIETAC’s professional capabilities and international influence in the international arbitration field. The participants said that the seminar has built a high-level dialogue platform for arbitration and legal professionals from different jurisdictions, which will help further promote the exchange and mutual learning of international arbitration rules, practices and concepts.

(Extensive exchanges among the participants)

During this year’s Paris Arbitration Week, the CIETAC delegation also deeply participated in a series of professional events, including the thematic seminar "Taming the Beast – Discussing the ASA User Council's Whitepaper on Document Production" hosted by Ashurst LLP  and the "Jus Mundi Institutions Symposium: The Asia-Middle East Arbitration Corridor" hosted by Jus Mundi. The delegation had in-depth exchanges with arbitration professionals from many countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia on hot international arbitration topics such as the practice of document production and the construction of the Asia-Middle East arbitration corridor. Among them, Lu Fei, Director of the Career Development Department and Secretary-General of the European Arbitration Center of CIETAC, delivered a keynote speech at the event hosted by Jus Mundi, sharing CIETAC’s experience and exploration in serving Asia-Middle East cross-border arbitration practice and promoting Belt and Road arbitration cooperation, demonstrating the active role of Chinese arbitration institutions in the construction of the Asia-Middle East arbitration corridor.

(Lu Fei delivering a speech at an event at the Paris Arbitration Week)

By hosting this special event and participating in relevant activities of the Paris Arbitration Week, CIETAC has fully demonstrated the opening and inclusive attitude, professional leading standard and broad international vision of Chinese arbitration institutions, further deepened exchanges and cooperation with the European and global arbitration communities, and will surely exert a positive influence on promoting the coordinated development of international arbitration under the Belt and Road Initiative and advancing the prosperity and progress of the international arbitration cause.