On the occasion of the 27th International Council for Commercial Arbitration Congress (“ICCA Congress”), a delegation led by Xie Changqing, Vice President of the Arbitration Court of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (“CIETAC”), visited Madrid, Spain, and held a series of legal exchange activities on arbitration and achieved fruitful results.

On the morning of April 12, CIETAC and LEGAL 21 ABOGADOS jointly hosted the seminar “East Meets West: Dialogue among International Arbitral Institutions.” Heads and representatives from 16 international arbitral institutions across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Ibero-America gathered to discuss development opportunities. Xie Changqing, Vice President of the CIETAC Arbitration Court, and Urquiola de Palacio, Vice President of the Madrid International Arbitration Center–Ibero-American Arbitration Center, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks.

（Event Venue）

In her opening remarks, Vice President Xie Changqing expressed sincere gratitude to the co-organizer LEGAL 21 ABOGADOS for its dedicated preparations, as well as to representatives of the 16 institutions and members of the legal community for their presence and support. She noted that amid a world marked by intertwined turbulence and transformation, international arbitration, with its unique advantages, is playing an increasingly prominent role in upholding the international economic and trade order and supporting the development of global rule of law.

She further observed that the legal cultures and practical traditions of different jurisdictions in the East and the West each have distinctive features. While these differences enrich the diversity of international arbitration, they may also give rise to understanding gaps and obstacles in practices. Therefore, deepening exchanges and mutual learning, and promoting integrated development, have become an inevitable trend in the evolution of international arbitration.

Vice President Xie stated that China has a unique language, culture, and legal tradition. As an international arbitration service provider, CIETAC has always been attentive to the needs of overseas parties for inclusive, convenient, and internationalized Chinese arbitration services. To this end, CIETAC has continued to optimize its arbitration rules, promote the deeper integration of Chinese and Western arbitration practices, build a high-caliber panel of international arbitrators, advance digital transformation, and make every effort to promote international exchanges and cooperation.

Looking ahead, CIETAC is willing to work hand in hand with arbitral institutions around the world to continue innovation and integrated development, so as to better meet the diverse and evolving arbitration needs of global users. She also expressed the hope that arbitration users would better understand and make good use of the distinctive advantages of arbitration in different jurisdictions, make targeted professional arrangements in advance, and jointly build a fairer and more efficient global dispute resolution ecosystem.

（Remarks by Vice President Xie Changqing）

In her remarks, Vice President Urquiola de Palacio said that Madrid, as an important venue for international arbitration, was honored to welcome representatives from 16 arbitral institutions worldwide. She highly commended CIETAC’s efforts in promoting arbitration exchanges between the East and the West, and expressed the hope that the meeting would serve as an opportunity for the Chinese and Spanish arbitration communities, as well as arbitral institutions in Ibero-America and Asia, to further strengthen dialogue and cooperation and jointly explore new paths for the integrated development of international arbitration.

（Remarks by Vice President Urquiola de Palacio）

The seminar consisted of two sessions. Independent arbitrators Tao Jingzhou and Paulo Fohlin, together with Sean Yu Chou, Managing Partner of Wong Partnership, served as moderators.

In the first session, representatives from eight institutions delivered remarks in turn, including Mary Lim, President of the Asian International Arbitration Centre; Ahmed Husain, Chief Executive Officer of the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution; Gabriel Mejía García, Senior Arbitration Counsel of the Arbitration and Conciliation Center of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce; Urquiola de Palacio, Vice President of the Madrid International Arbitration Center–Ibero-American Arbitration Center; Laura Jiménez Jáimez, Senior Legal Counsel of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre; José Luis Aragón Cardiel, Senior Legal Counsel of the Permanent Court of Arbitration; Nils Ivars of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce; and Christopher Boog, President of the Swiss Arbitration Centre.

In the second session, representatives from another eight institutions spoke in turn, including Thara Gopalan, Vice President of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution of the American Arbitration Association; Wang Haocheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center; Pilar Perales Viscasillas, Council Member of the Arbitration Center of Mexico; Martin Vainstein, Secretary to the Board of the Center for Mediation and Commercial Arbitration of the Argentine Chamber of Commerce; Verónica Sandler, Secretary-General of CEMA of Argentina; Joanne Lau, Secretary-General of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre; Hamed H. Merah, Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration; and Adriana Uson, Director for the Americas of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

（From left to right: Tao Jingzhou, Christopher Boog, Dato’ Mary Lim, Ahmed Husain, Gabriel Mejía García, Laura Jiménez Jáimez, José Luis Aragón Cardiel, Nils Ivars, Urquiola de Palacio, and Paulo Fohlin）

Representatives of the participating institutions shared their respective strengths and development visions from various perspectives, including rule innovation, case management, internationalization, and regional advantages. They all expressed a shared commitment to strengthening exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western arbitration communities, promoting the coordinated development of cross-border dispute resolution mechanisms, and jointly enhancing the credibility and inclusiveness of international arbitration. The discussions conveyed a common aspiration to deepen international cooperation and advance the diversified and integrated development of global arbitration.

J. Félix de Luis, Executive Director of LEGAL 21 ABOGADOS, delivered the closing remarks. He said it was a great honor to co-host the seminar with CIETAC. He noted that a dialogue bringing together 16 international arbitral institutions is rare in the international arbitration community, which fully demonstrates CIETAC’s convening power and influence in the field of international arbitration. He expressed the hope that Eastern and Western arbitral institutions would take the meeting as an opportunity to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation and jointly explore new paths for the integrated development of international arbitration.

（Remarks by Executive Director J. Félix de Luis）

The seminar attracted 80 professionals attending in person and concluded successfully amid lively and in-depth discussions. Yin Tianshu, Deputy Director of CIETAC’s International Case Management Division; Wang Haocheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center; and Li Yihui, Case Manager of CIETAC’s Commission Affairs Division, attended the seminar throughout and actively exchanged views with participating guests.

（Participating guests engaged in lively exchanges）