On 27 December, 2017 Annual Meeting of National Arbitration Work was held in Harbin. The meeting was themed on implementing the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, exchanging work experience in arbitration and further promoting the rapid and sound development of arbitration undertakings. More than 400 representatives from 28 legal affairs offices and 196 arbitration institutions all over the country attended the meeting. CIETAC Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Wang Chengjie attended the meeting and delivered a speech on serving the Belt and Road Initiative and the construction of pilot free trade zone, and CIETAC’s new measures of internationalized development.

Secretary-General Wang Chengjie pointed out that with the in-depth advancing of the Belt and Road Initiative and the construction of pilot free trade zone, enterprises’ pace of going global has been faster and more companies realized the importance of arbitration in dispute resolution, which at the same time proposed higher demands of arbitration service and more urgent requirement for the arbitration institutions to provide professional arbitration service of high degree of internationalization and strong credibility. Faced with new situations and requirements, arbitration institutions of our country shall come up with new ideas of development, be innovative and constantly raise the specialization, internationalization and informatization level of arbitration service, making new contributions to the Belt and Road and the construction of business environment of pilot free trade zone.

He stated that in the process of serving the Belt and Road Initiative and the construction of pilot free trade zone, CIETAC has been focusing on raising its ability of serving foreign-related arbitration and has successfully held activities such as China Arbitration Week and CIETAC CUP. CIETAC has made efforts in enlarging the international influence of Chinese arbitration, positively building Chinese dispute resolution platform of investment arbitration and strengthening research on the arbitration system along the Belt and Road and the third-party funding in international arbitration. CIETAC has issued and implemented CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center Rules as Appointing Authority in Ad Hoc Arbitrations and has been deeply involved in international arbitration communication and collaboration, constantly promoting our country’s arbitration to score new achievements in international development. It is hoped that the whole country’s arbitration institutions will make progress together, jointly propelling the large wheel of Chinese arbitration to stably move further and making active efforts in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative and the construction of business environment of pilot free trade zone.

Director of Coordination department of Legal Affairs Office of the State Council Zhao Zhenhua attended the meeting and gave a keynote speech. Leaders from relevant departments of the legislative affairs commission of the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People’s Court and the Department of Justice attended the meeting.