CIETAC 2018 report card

China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) has been working to enhance the creditability of its arbitrations throughout 2018, and has witnessed continued improvement in its international competitiveness.

CIETAC deepened its reforms across the whole arbitration process including case acceptances, establishment of arbitration panels, and other procedures. Providing independent, fair and efficient arbitration services to parties has always been at the heart of the institution’s work, which has helped it win the trust of both Chinese and foreign parties.

In 2018, CIETAC enjoyed steady growth in both the number of cases and the amounts in dispute. In total, the institution accepted and dealt with 2,962 cases, up by 28.89% from the previous year. Of these, 522 cases were foreign-related (out of which both parties were non-Chinese in 26 cases), representing a year-on-year increase of 9.66%, while 2,440 cases were domestic disputes, a year-on-year increase of 33.92%.

The amount in dispute totalled RMB101.59 billion (US$14.68 billion), up by 41.32% on the previous year. There were 171 cases with amounts at stake equalling or exceeding RMB100 million, up by 46.15% from 2017.

The institution concluded 2,524 cases, up 11.04% on figures for 2017. The number of cases in process was 2,022, up 28.3%. The parties to the cases were from 60 countries and regions, and 73 cases involved parties from 23 countries along China’s Belt and Road. In 79 cases, the arbitration languages were in English only, German only, and both English and Chinese. A total of 59 foreign arbitrators presided over 58 cases.

CIETAC has kept its arbitration rules up to date and in line with international rules and practice, and worked hard to promote the adoption of information technology in managing arbitration procedures and scrutinizing arbitral awards. The institution brought into play its expert advisory committee to deal with major and complex cases.

CIETAC also pressed ahead with its overseas expansion strategy, accelerating the building of an overseas service network and setting up CIETAC North America Arbitration Centre and CIETAC European Arbitration Centre in Vancouver and Vienna, respectively. It also made its services more accessible to businesses along the Belt and Road.