At the beginning of the new century, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (“CIETAC”) initiated CIETAC Cup International Commercial Arbitration Moot (“CIETAC Cup”) in 2000. The original intention was to cultivate talents who are familiar with international legal rules and disputes resolution in order to meet the needs of social and economic development after China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (“WTO”). Over the past 20 years, CIETAC Cup adhered to its initial pursuit, built a nest to attract phoenix, gathered talents and cultivated a large number of international arbitration elites with global vision, expertise and excellent foreign language proficiency. CIETAC Cup has attracted a total of over 10,000 students from more than 200 renowned colleges and universities to attend the competition and has drawn the attention of tens of thousands of young people from law schools every year to study international commercial arbitration, building up a solid reserve force for the development of China’s arbitration. This year marks the 20th anniversary of CIETAC Cup. After 20 years of hard working, CIETAC Cup becomes the largest arbitration moot in China as well as a well-known brand of domestic arbitration competition.

Adopt International Case Problem and Take Lead in Talent Training
In 1993, the 1st Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (“Vis Moot”) was held in Vienna, Austria. The purpose of Vis Moot is to foster the study of international commercial law and to promote arbitration as an internationally accepted method for commercial disputes resolution. Since then, Vis Moot is held every year and gains wide influence in the global legal community. On August 31, 1994, the Arbitration Law of the People’s Republic of China was adopted at the Ninth Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People’s Congress, launching a new chapter for China’s arbitration. At this time, China was conducting trade negotiations for the accession to the WTO and the trade with various countries was booming, which has greatly promoted the vigorous development of China’s arbitration. Under such circumstances, CIETAC hosted the 1st CIETAC Cup in Beijing from 13th to 15th November, 2000 in a forward-looking manner. For the first time in China, CIETAC Cup introduced the original Case Problem of Vis Moot and used English as the language of the competition, being the pioneer in the foreign-related arbitration legal talents training in China. Teams from law schools of six universities including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, University of International Business and Economics, China Foreign Affairs University, and China University of Political Science and Law, took the lead in participating in CIETAC Cup. The success of the 1st CIETAC Cup made up for the foreign-related arbitration legal talents training and received good response at home and abroad.
Based on the experiences accrued, CIETAC held the 2nd CIETAC Cup in the following year. Compared with the first session, the second one has a larger scale and wider influences, with participating teams coming from across China. More than 60 contestants from 14 well-known law schools including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Xiamen University, and Southwest University of Political Science and Law, participated in the competition. CIETAC took advantage of its expert resources and invited well-known arbitration legal experts at home and abroad to serve as arbitrators and provide guidance for students. Tian Pingan, then President of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said in an interview with the Legal Daily that the Ministry of Education put forward new requirements for the legal talents training in colleges and universities. With the development of the market economy, talents with “inter-disciplinary skills, solid knowledge, high quality and strong ability” are even more needed. By participating in CIETAC Cup, students from Southwest University of Political Science and Law further improved their ability. The competition was reported by CCTV and other domestic authoritative mainstream media, which enhanced the influence of the competition nationwide and laid a solid foundation for further expanding the scale and cultivating high-quality talents in the future.

(The scene of the 2nd CIETAC Cup)

(CCTV reported on the 2nd CIETAC Cup)

(CIETAC sponsored the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies to participate in the 2003 Vis Moot in Vienna)

(CIETAC sponsored the 3rd CIETAC Cup champion Nanjing University to compete in Vienna)

CIETAC Rules were Adopted for the First Time in International Competitions and the Influence of China’s Arbitration Continues to Expand
In order to promote the widespread use of arbitration around the world, the organizer of Vis Moot selects the rules of world-renowned arbitration institutions as the arbitration rules adopted in the moot every year. As the first foreign-related arbitration institution in China, CIETAC has always maintained the advanced nature of its arbitration rules, keeps in line with international practices, and makes timely revisions and adjustments to its arbitration rules. In 2012, CIETAC released the 2012 Arbitration Rules on the basis of absorbing the latest international research results and combining with its own practical experience. The 2012 Arbitration Rules further emphasizes the principle of respecting for party autonomy by  stipulating that the parties may choose the applicable law governing the validity of the arbitration agreement, in order to adapt to the new development of international arbitration practices. The 2012 Arbitration Rules were used as the arbitration rules in the 19th Vis Moot, which has received extensive attention from the global arbitration and legal community. Young contestants from various countries had intense discussions on the jurisdiction and other issues in adopting the rules, which further enhanced the influence of China’s arbitration on a global scale.

(The Notice of Arbitration issued in the 19th Vis Moot according to the 2012 CIETAC Arbitration Rules)

Overseas Universities Participated in CIETAC Cup for the First Time, and the Scale and Degree of Internationalization of CIETAC Cup Continues to Increase

In recent years, in the context of deepening implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the scale of enterprises going global continues to expand and the demand for international legal talents has intensified. CIETAC undertakes more tasks for training international legal talents and further develops CIETAC Cup talent training platforms. In 2021, the 19th CIETAC Cup was held online. The total number of participants reached a record high with more than 800 students from 75 teams around the world participated in the competition. In addition, the 19th session attracted overseas contestants from the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Malaysia to compete with students from domestic universities for the first time. The geographical coverage of the participating teams is wider, the influence of the event is further expanded, and the team structure is more diversified. CIETAC also invited more than 200 arbitrators, law professors and lawyers from over 20 countries and regions to serve as arbitrators.

(The scene of the Final Round of the 19th CIETAC Cup)

(The official website of the Ministry of Justice reported on the 19th CIETAC Cup)

In 2022, the scale of the 20th CIETAC Cup was further expanded, with over 1,000 students from 93 teams attending the competition. Students from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Macau competed with students from domestic universities on the same stage. More than 230 Chinese and foreign arbitration experts from 27 countries and regions were invited to serve as arbitrators to provide guidance for the contestants.

(The scene of Final Round of the 20th CIETAC Cup)

CIETAC Cup is also supported by internationally renowned arbitration institutions such as the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center (HKIAC) and the Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC), which further strengthened the global influence of CIETAC Cup.

Set up CIETAC Cup Alumni Association and Form A Circle of Friends for High-Quality Talents

As a brand event, CIETAC Cup opens the door for many law school students to the professional field of international commercial arbitration. Their legal and language skills, as well as practical abilities have been significantly improved. A large number of participants have grown into a new force of China's international arbitration, actively participated in the construction of China's arbitration, and have become an important intellectual resource to enhance the international competitiveness of China's arbitration. In order to establish a sufficient and effective contact network, promote the cultivation and exchange of arbitration law students, and help young talents improve professional skills, expand their international horizons and participate in international governance, CIETAC launched the CIETAC Cup Alumni Association in 2021. The platform is open to all contestants, coaches, arbitrators and other relevant people who participated in CIETAC Cup. By organizing various seminars and activities, it aims to facilitate the cohesion and interconnection of high-quality arbitration talents, and enhance China’s voice and influence in international legal affairs and global governance.

At the same time, based on the experience accrued, CIETAC co-hosted the Voice of Moot serial training program with renowned law firms and international organizations in the arbitration field. The program invited domestic and foreign experts with rich experience in international commercial disputes resolution to provide guidance to young students on the application of international arbitration rules, the development of international arbitration practice and career planning, which further deepens the contestants' understanding of hot issues in international arbitration and international trade law, and effectively integrates theory with practice.

All Parties Speak Highly of CIETAC Cup and Will Jointly Promote the Training of Foreign-Related Legal Talents

Zhang Yuejiao, the Former Chair and the first Chinese Judge of the Appellate Body of the WTO, said that CIETAC Cup provides young students with a platform to enhance their practical abilities. She hopes the young generation to make good use of the platform, study hard and contribute to the   construction of the rule of law.

Kim Rooney, Member of the ICC Belt and Road Commission and Independent Arbitrator, said that CIETAC Cup provides a platform for young students to exchange ideas and compete on the same stage, and helps the students to improve their practical abilities and language competence. She hopes to work with CIETAC to foster legal talents and contribute to the development of international arbitration practice in the future.

Arthur Wolff, Professor at the University of Vienna, said that CIETAC Cup has become one of the most influential legal competitions in China, providing a broad stage for students from all over the world to learn from each other. More and more young students with solid legal knowledge and excellent language skills stand out from the fierce competition and devote themselves into international arbitration practice.

Justin D’Agostino, CEO and Partner of Herbert Smith Freehills, said that China has gradually become a new global destination for international commercial arbitration in recent years. In order to further increase the world-wide attractiveness of China’s arbitration, it is necessary to speed up the cultivation of high-quality talents and promote the prosperity of China’s arbitration.

Professor Lu Song, Member of the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court, said that the economic and trade exchanges between China and other countries are getting closer, and the demand for legal talents is also increasing. CIETAC Cup has promoted the cultivation of young Chinese arbitration talents to a great extent and has contributed to filling the vacancies of professional legal talents.

Shi Hong, Vice Chairman of ICC and Partner of Fangda Law Firm, said that the annual CIETAC Cup has become the most popular moot in China and even in the world. Through the competition, students from various countries enhance mutual understanding, gain a global vision, inspire innovation, set high aspirations, and actively devote themselves into arbitration.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of CIETAC Cup. After 20 years’ hard working, CIETAC Cup has yielded worthy fruits despite all difficulties. As the first arbitration institution established in China, CIETAC actively promoted the cultivation of the first batch of arbitration legal talents in China and has made outstanding contributions for the improvement of China's arbitration legal system. Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the CIETAC, said that feats are accomplished by capable people; undertakings proceed because of capable people. CIETAC will further develop CIETAC Cup, making it not only a domestically leading and internationally influential high-quality event, but also an important center for promoting the cultivation of international legal talents in China. CIETAC Cup enables young legal talents to hone themselves both theoretically and practically, and makes Chinese voice heard on the international stage.

Attached Table: CIETAC Sponsorship for Teams to Participate in Overseas Competitions