The year 2022 bears historic significance. In the face of the intertwined changes of the century and the unprecedented epidemic, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) upholds the independence, impartiality and efficiency of arbitration, constantly improves the credibility, influence and competitiveness of China's arbitration, promotes the construction of world-class arbitration institution, strives to build China into a new destination for international arbitration, and has comprehensively achieved all tasks and objectives with high quality.

I. 2022 Work Report

1. Business development was steadily promoted and the quality and efficiency of case handling was enhanced.

A new record has been achieved in arbitration business. In 2022, 4,086 new cases were accepted, with a dispute amount of RMB126.9 billion yuan, both figures reaching a record high. Among them, there were 642 foreign-related cases with the amount in dispute of RMB37.4 billion yuan; and there were 3,444 domestic cases and the amount in dispute was RMB89.5 billion yuan (a year-on-year increase of 36%). Cases with disputed amount over RMB100 million totaled 188, 17 of which were cases with disputed amount over RMB1 billion (a year-on-year increase of 6%). 3,201 cases were in process, and 3,822 cases were concluded. 122 domain name disputes were accepted and 136 were concluded.

The cases were more international in nature . In 2022, the number of international cases in which both parties were non-Chinese parties increased to 83 cases (a year on year growth of 36%), and the amount in dispute thereof increased to 5.4 billion yuan (a year on year growth of 47%). The cases involved 83 countries and regions, of which the parties were from 69 countries and regions, covering 32 countries along the “Belt and Road” and all the 10 ASEAN countries. The top ten most frequently involved countries and regions in foreign-related cases were, respectively, Hong Kong (China), the United States, Germany, Korea, Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, the United Kingdom, the Cayman Islands, Canada, and Japan.

There were 87 appointments of foreign arbitrators in 83 cases. In 115 cases, English, or both English and Chinese were agreed as the arbitration languages. A wide range of governing law was chosen, including the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) as well as the law of Hong Kong, Singapore, Uzbekistan, England and Welsh, and Mongolia, etc. The parties also chose the International Rules for the Interpretation of Trade Terms (Incoterms) 2000 and other rules to govern the cases.

The disputes and procedural management were complex and diverse. In 2022, there were 840 cases involving multiple parties, 822 cases involving multiple contracts. As many as 596 contracts were consolidated in a single case, and 26 cases involved the joinders of additional parties. 39 jurisdictional decisions and 49 decisions on challenging of arbitrators were made, 5,616 appointments /selection of arbitrators were made, 3,381 tribunals were formed, 4,393 oral hearings were held, over 200,000 procedural notices in English and Chinese were issued, and the meetings of the Expert Advisory Committee were held for 5 times to discuss complicated cases. There were as many as 20 types of cases being accepted, and the dispute types on the top were construction, mechanical and electrical equipment, sale and purchase of goods, transfer of equity investment, service contracts, natural resources and financial disputes, with the number of natural resources cases increasing significantly.

Three types of disputes were complex and difficult. CIETAC fully respects the autonomy of the parties and the laws of market transactions, and has independently and impartially handled a large number of disputes of three major types, namely, equity investment, financial securities and construction projects, which are characterized by complex legal relationships, diverse transaction parties, great difficulty in trial and high social concern, thereby accumulated rich experience, being widely recognized by the industry.

(1) Disputes over equity investment: disputes over “valuation adjustment mechanism” (VAM), “performance compensation”, “convertible bonds”, “convertible shares” for the purpose of investment and financing, as well as disputes over merger and acquisition (M&A) and transfer of controlling equity, the transfer of options, entrusted shareholding s, and general equity;

(2) Disputes over financial securities: issuance / subscription disputes represented by those on financing instrument issuance agreements, bond prospectuses, etc., transaction disputes represented by those on over-the-counter (OTC) options, financial derivatives, etc., and repo disputes represented by those on bonds outright repo transactions, stock pledged repo transactions, etc.;

(3) Disputes over construction projects: disputes on PPP, BOT, EPC, infrastructure, mine and well drillings, civil and commercial buildings, interior decoration design, etc.

Industry-leading position was enhanced. Firstly, CIETAC continued the exploration of the best practices in arbitration. In 2022, CIETAC issued two emergency arbitrator decisions, which were voluntarily performed by the parties; CIETAC’s practice of third-party funding was recognized in judicial review by the people’s court for the first time in China, receiving wide attention from the industry. Secondly, CIETAC’s arbitral awards were generally recognized at home and abroad, including being recognized and enforced by courts in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Taiwan (China) and other countries and regions, further demonstrating the credibility of arbitration.

2. Foundation of the system was consolidated, with further standardized and more efficient Case management.

Promoting the institutionalization of new practices and experience. CIETAC issued the CIETAC Internal Guidelines for Case Management under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules to enhance the service capacity of applying international rules to resolve disputes; revised the Guidelines on Case Handling for Case Managers, Procedural Provisions for the Expert Advisory Committee and other normative documents to improve the professionalism and standardization in managing the procedures of cases; studied and formulated the Guidelines for the Management of Procedures for Similar Cases and Related Cases (for Trial Implementation) to strengthen the guidance of similar cases; issued Guidelines on Service of Arbitration Documents to further standardize and improve the service work. Besides, CIETAC pushed forward the revision of its arbitration rules. It focused on the latest hot topics of international arbitration, and conducted in-depth studies and discussions on more than ten topics such as the effectiveness of pre-arbitration mediation proceedings, the making of jurisdictional decisions, interim awards, the procedures for re-arbitration, emergency arbitrator procedures, interim measures, procedures for consolidation of arbitrations, transparency and efficiency of forming arbitral tribunals, ad hoc arbitration, third-party funding, etc., and formed a preliminary research report.

The utilization of information technology was promoted to improve the efficiency and convenience of arbitration services. CIETAC has made efforts to prevent possible stagnation in the procedures of filing cases, oral hearings and document exchanges affected by the epidemic, guided the parties to file cases online and conduct oral hearings virtually, developed a new “CIETAC Private Cloud” document service system, thus significantly improved the efficiency of arbitration proceedings. The parties’ satisfaction degree was further increased. In 2022, 1,340 cases were filed online, accounting for nearly one-third of the total number of cases filed for the year; 1,906 hearings were held online, accounting for nearly half of the total for the year, involving parties from 49 countries and regions. CIETAC made great efforts to strengthen the information construction, optimize the online case management process, improve efficiency and ensure that the whole process was recorded; developed the “CIETAC Private Cloud” platform for serving arbitration documents electronically; developed an electronic seal system for stamping electronic signatures and the Secretary General's signature which not only improves the efficiency of signatures and approvals but also realizes the purpose of recording the whole process and electronic archiving to eliminate risks; improved the functions of CIETAC APP, expanded the office network bandwidth to 400M, optimized network resource allocation, and launched a dedicated CIETAC video account’s network line to guarantee the smooth and stable access to online oral hearings, meetings, live broadcasts and office network; upgraded the Office Automation (OA) system to ensure the handling of administrative matters through cell phones; improved the software functions to facilitate online meetings and online trainings between CIETAC headquarters and its sub-commissions, to further accelerate the construction of digital institution.

3. The globalization layout of arbitrators was optimized, the team-building of the arbitrators were continued to be strengthened.

To serve the higher level of opening-up, CIETAC constantly enriches, adjusts and optimizes its team of arbitrators. CIETAC expanded the coverage of foreign arbitrators to key regions and countries around the world, focused on hiring more arbitrators in the area of securities and futures, and successfully completed the in-session adjustment of arbitrators. There are 1,897 arbitrators in CIETAC’s Panel of Arbitrators. They are from 144 countries and regions, including 112 countries and regions that have signed the “Belt and Road” cooperation documents, covering six continents of the globe, realizing the globalization layout of the arbitrators’ team. Among them, there are 591 foreign arbitrators, making the pool of arbitrators more international and covering a wider range of areas globally, better meeting the needs of commercial entities from different countries for arbitration services. CIETAC also strengthened the training of arbitrators, improved the mechanism of managing, supervising and assessing arbitrators dynamically, improved the effectiveness of governance and the credibility of arbitration with system construction, formed an effective mechanism to ensure that arbitrators handle cases in accordance with the law and perform their duties diligently, and strives to build a team of arbitrators that are honest, professional, fair, efficient, and international.

4. A new pattern of promoting the arbitration cause was created to serve a higher level of opening up.

(1) Practical moves were made to serve the overall situation.
Firstly, the Cooperation Mechanism of the Beijing Joint Declaration of the Belt and Road Arbitration Institutions was deepened. CIETAC finished the preparation work for the establishment of the working group for multilateral cooperation and completed the preliminary work of the law ascertainment mechanism to help the construction of the rule of law of the “Belt and Road”.

Secondly, the construction of intellectual property protection mechanism was strengthened. CIETAC established the CIETAC Intellectual Property Arbitration Center, signed cooperation agreements with China Trademark Association(CTA) and Patent Protection Association of China (PPAC), successfully held Seminar on Intellectual Property Protection and Dispute Resolution, promoted China’s intellectual property dispute resolution system, actively participated in the formulation of international rules for intellectual property protection, and promoted a higher level of opening to the outside world and development with higher quality in the field of intellectual property.

Thirdly, new efforts were made in domain name protection. As the rotating Chairman of the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre (ADNDRC), CIETAC took the lead in completing the Decision Drafting Guidelines for UDRP Proceedings, and successfully held the Council Meeting of the ADNDRC, the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Practice Development Workshop, the ADNDRC 20th Anniversary Annual Conference and other activities. More than 530,000 viewers from 41 countries and regions watched the ADNDRC 20th Anniversary Annual Conference online, of which the number of overseas viewers accounted for around 40%, effectively enhancing the international influence of CIETAC in the field of domain name dispute resolution.

Fourthly, the work on promoting and implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) was vigorously strengthened. CIETAC set up its ASEAN Trial Center in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and successfully held the RCEP and ASEAN International Arbitration Summit, improving the level of cooperation in the field of China-ASEAN commercial law in the context of the RCEP and providing quality legal services and guarantees for the high-quality implementation of the RCEP.

Fifthly, to serve the construction of the Maritime Silk Road Central Legal District of Fujian Province, CIETAC signed the Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement with Xiamen Free Trade Zone, helping to build a preferred place for resolving foreign-related disputes.

（2）The efforts on serving enterprises were effective.
Firstly, CIETAC issued the Special Arrangements on the Deduction and Refund of Arbitration Fees for Parties in response to the epidemic to help enterprises to alleviate their hardship, under which arbitration fees were refunded in 1,800 cases, effectively reducing the cost for parties and giving full play to the function of international trade and economic arbitration in maintaining economic order and social stability.

Secondly, the APEC Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)·CIETAC Platform was officially launched. CIETAC was recommended by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to be one of the first Chinese ODR service providers under the APEC Collaborative Framework for ODR of Cross-Border B2B Disputes, being officially recognized by APEC as one of the present three ODR service providers listed on its official website. Through this platform, CIETAC provides ODR service with an entirely online process of diversified dispute resolution methods including negotiation, mediation and arbitration to resolve cross-border commercial disputes, especially for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Thirdly, efforts were made to improve the ability of enterprises to prevent overseas risks. Eight “CIETAC Live” serial lectures on international arbitration, including four lectures on sports dispute resolution for the Beijing Winter Olympics and four lectures on arbitration hot topics in the field of enterprises’ risk prevention, were hosted, in which more than 30 arbitration experts and scholars from China and abroad were invited to share their experience and wisdom, attracting nearly 1.8 million watches online. In addition, hundreds of various training seminars on dispute resolution and other arbitration activities were held online and offline by CIETAC and its sub-commissions, thereby training tens of millions of people, and constantly enhancing the ability of enterprises to prevent and resolve risks.

Fourthly, the publicity of the rule of law in arbitration was expanded. CIETAC increased its promotional efforts in both domestic and foreign media. CCTV timely covered important news such as “CIETAC’s Special Arrangement on the Deduction and Refund of Arbitration Fees for Parties”, “The ASEAN Trial Center of CIETAC Officially Settles in Nanning, Guangxi”, “The Amount in Dispute of Cases Accepted by CIETAC Exceeds 100 Billion Yuan for the Fourth Consecutive Year”, “CIETAC Establishes its Intellectual Property Arbitration Center”, “2022 China Arbitration Summit - The International Influence of China’s Arbitration Gradually Increases”, etc. “Excerpts from the Speeches at the China Arbitration Summit 2022 and the 2nd CIETAC Global Arbitrators Forum” was published on the official website of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). Besides, CIETAC was interviewed for many times by China Business Law Journal (CBLJ) and Legal Daily , introducing the development of CIETAC and international arbitration. Legal Daily and other related media have timely tracked and reported the activities hosted by CIETAC, including the serial activities on the Winter Olympic Games, China Arbitration Week, China Arbitration Summit, and the CIETAC Cup moot, etc. Through these efforts, CIETAC well told the Chinese story and spread the Chinese voice, further boosting the trust and confidence of Chinese and foreign parties in China’s arbitration.

5. Facilitating the cultivation of foreign-related arbitration talents and the construction of think tank, and jointly promoting domestic and foreign-related rule of law.

Solidly cultivating foreign-related legal talents. The 20th CIETAC Cup International Commercial Arbitration Moot was successfully held, with the participation of more than 1,000 domestic and foreign contestants from 93 teams, and 230 experts from 27 countries and regions serving as arbitrators. 201 competitions in total were hosted, including 186 competitions of the General Rounds, 14 elimination competitions of the Elimination Rounds and the Final Round, marking a new record high in terms of the number of participants and competitions, and expanding its international influence. The Voice of Moot series of online live events were held for 15 sessions, with over 350,000 watches online, providing professional guidance to the participants and enriching their competition experience. The 20th anniversary of the CIETAC Cup was organized to help build China’s foreign-related legal talent team. CIETAC successfully held the 14th Frankfurt International Investment Moot Preliminary Competition to select and train young legal talents for foreign-related investment dispute settlement. Furthermore, CIETAC signed cooperation agreements with 15 universities at home and abroad, including Peking University, Renmin University of China and the University of Hong Kong, to set up joint training programs for masters, recommend experts to serve as mentors or offer courses on international commercial and investment arbitration, contributing to the cultivation of Chinese foreign-related arbitration talents with the international perspective, knowledge of international rules and competence in cross-border legal services.

The CIETAC International Arbitration Institute was made into full play. CIETAC launched international courses, including the three-month course on the CISG with the participation of nearly 1,500 participants from nearly 20 jurisdictions worldwide, and the number of online visits exceeded 12,500, training foreign-related commercial and arbitration legal talents with both practical and theoretical skills.

Actively participating in the construction of the rule of law in arbitration. Combining international arbitration practice and China’s experience in foreign-related arbitration, CIETAC submitted a 11,000-word report on suggestions to the amendments of the Arbitration Law to the MOJ. At the request of the relevant departments of the National People’s Congress (NPC), CIETAC made legislative proposals on the Sports Law (Draft). Cooperating with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to conduct a special study on the “Revision of the Arbitration Law”, CIETAC organized a seminar for experts for discussion, solicited opinions from overseas experts, and presided over the CPPCC discussion group seminar to provide a broader reference for the law revision work. CIETAC conducted research and submitted responding opinions to more than ten proposals from the NPC and the CPPCC. At the invitation of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), CIETAC submitted professional opinions on the judicial interpretation of the General Provisions of the Part of Contracts of the Civil Code. At the invitation of the General Administration of Sport of China , CIETAC proposed amendments to the Rules for the Organization of Sports Arbitration Commission and the Arbitration Rules of the Sports Arbitration Commission . At the request of other legislative, judicial and administrative departments, CIETAC made over 10 submissions to provide opinions and suggestions on legislations and amendments to relevant laws.

Research on foreign-related rule of law in arbitration was steadily carried out. In 2022, CIETAC published the “Annual Report on International Commercial Arbitration in China”, “The Research of the International Arbitration System in Countries along the Belt and Road”, and the “Arbitration Research Report on Chinese Enterprises Going Global 2022”, etc. Besides, CIETAC edited and published “Arbitration and Law”, etc. By summarizing the current situation and experience of the development of China’s international commercial arbitration, CIETAC has provided authoritative and valuable practical references for enterprises that are “going global” to prevent legal risks.

6. Interaction and cooperation were facilitated, showing CIETAC’s influence and new undertaking in international arbitration exchanges and cooperations.

(1) International arbitration activities were hosted, demonstrating CIETAC’s brand influence. The series of activities of the 10th China Arbitration Week were successfully held. 52 events were held in 20 cities across China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, and in other 12 countries, including Canada, Spain, Kenya, Austria, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Italy and the United Arab Emirates. These events mainly included the China Arbitration Summit and the CIETAC Global Arbitrators Forum, the Press Conference of the Annual Report on International Commercial Arbitration in China (2021-2022), the Tang Lecture, the China Youth Arbitration Forum, the BRICS Arbitration Forum, and other classic forums in China; as well as the Spanish Arbitration Day, the China-Canada Seminar on Hot Topics in International Arbitration , the Dubai Seminar on New Trend of International Economic and Trade Dispute Resolution, and the Kenya Special Event on “The Belt and Road and China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation and Diversified Dispute Resolution” , etc. The events were widely praised by the arbitration community at home and abroad.

The China Arbitration Summit and the 2nd CIETAC Global Arbitrators Forum (the Summit) was organized with great success. It was co-hosted by CIETAC, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and All China Lawyers Association (ACLA). Ren Hongbin, Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Wang Shengming, Member of the Standing Committee of the NPC and Vice Chairman of the Supervisory and Judicial Affairs Committee of the NPC, Xiong Xuanguo, Vice Minister of the MOJ, Liu Guixiang, Member of the SPC Judicial Committee (Vice-Minister Level) and Grand Justice of the Second Rank, attended the opening ceremony and delivered opening remarks. Anna Joubin-Bret, Secretary of UNCITRAL, delivered a speech through video. Ke Liangdong, Vice Chairman of the CCPIT, moderated the opening ceremony. The theme of the Summit is “Towards Intelligent & Interconnected International Arbitration”. More than 30 experts from home and abroad delivered themed speeches and discussed on the topics of “Breakthrough and Upgrade: Dispute Resolution with the Aid of Technology”, “Change and Challenge: Balancing Efficiency and Justice in Arbitration under the New Trend”, and “Communication and Collaboration: Enhancing International Credibility of Arbitration under Economic Globalization”, keeping up with the hot issues at the forefront of international arbitration development in the intelligent and interconnected era, exploring the direction of the future development of international dispute resolution in the digital economy . The “2022 CIETAC Global Arbitrators Initiative” was launched at the Summit, further building the consensus and uniting strength of the CIETAC arbitrators around the world. The Summit were followed and watched 3.163 million times online with audience from 141 countries and regions, and was named as one of the “Top Ten Typical Cases of International Communication of China’s Rule of Law” in 2022.

The China International Investment Arbitration Forum Annual Conference was co-hosted by CIETAC, China International Investment Arbitration Forum (CIIAF) and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), receiving 600,000 views from 58 countries and regions, and promoting CIIAF to play a more active role in the field of international investment dispute settlement. The Annual Report of CIIAF was released, showing the cutting-edge research and latest achievements in the field of international investment treaties and arbitration in China. The 2nd CIIAF Youth Excellent Paper Competition was held, attracting participants from renowned universities and well-known law firms to submit a number of high-quality papers for competition, helping to cultivate legal talents for investment dispute settlement.

Participation in international rule-making was constantly deepened. CIETAC was invited to participate in 18 UNCITRAL meetings of relevant Working Groups, including the 55th session of the Commission , meetings on arbitration and mediation / dispute settlement, reform of the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism, and e-commerce. By actively participating in rule-making and document review, and producing a series of reports such as the “Observation Report of the UNCITRAL 55th Session of the Commission” after the meetings, CIETAC conveyed information and views, and made China’s voice heard, which was affirmed by the Working Groups of UNCITRAL.

International arbitration exchanges and cooperation continued to expand. To promote the friendly cooperation between China and Africa, CIETAC, together with the International Youth Congress of Africa and China (CONIJAC) and the Arbitration Court of Côte d’Ivoire (CACI), successfully organized a conference on “Enterprise Participation in China-Côte d’Ivoire Relationship Construction in a New Era through Commercial and Trade Alternative Dispute Resolution”, which was highly valued and supported by the Ministry of the Interior and Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Côte d’Ivoire . CIETAC has held more than 50 arbitration events with domestic and foreign arbitration institutions / international organizations such as the International Chamber of Commerce International Court of Arbitration (ICC) , Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) , the Center for International Investment and Commercial Arbitration (CIICA) of Pakistan, etc. CIETAC was invited to participate in more than 30 conferences and meetings held by institutions including the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) , Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), SIAC, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation , Interlaw, etc. CIETAC concluded Cooperation Agreements with institutions including Lima Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Center, and deepened communication and cooperation with over 10 arbitration institutions in ASEAN countries.

II. 2023 Work Plan

1. Benchmark with the first-class standards of international arbitration and promote the high-quality development of arbitration.

CIETAC will maintain the advancement and internationalization of its arbitration rules, strengthen research on the latest achievements in international arbitration development, continuously summarize its own rich practical experience, explore innovative arbitration systems and improve arbitration rules. CIETAC will also strengthen the construction of the teams of arbitrators and case managers, vigorously cultivate high-quality and professional arbitration talents, increase the supervision and assessment mechanism, improve the level of information technology and digital management, continuously promote institutional reform, and continuously improve the internationalization, modernization and facilitation of arbitration services.

2. Take arbitration services to a new height and provide better services for the new development pattern .

CIETAC will adhere to the international and domestic dual circulation and promotion, firmly grasp the strategic opportunities of the “Belt and Road”, the RCEP, BRICS, APEC, etc. Thereunder, CIETAC will coordinate the development of arbitration in the domestic and international market, strengthen professional development by focusing on industries and regions, serving major strategic regions of national development such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, the Great Bay Area, Xiong’an New Area, Hainan Free Trade Port, Maritime Silk Road Central Legal District of Fujian Province, etc., thus expanding and strengthening the arbitration development.

3. Organize high-end arbitration brand events and promote international exchanges and cooperations.

CIETAC hopes to develop more friends in international arbitration community, deepen the Cooperation Mechanism of the Beijing Joint Declaration of the Belt and Road Arbitration Institutions, continue to organize the China Arbitration Week, China Arbitration Summit, the High-end Forum for the “Belt and Road” International Arbitration Institutions, CIETAC Live and other influential brand events well, deepen exchanges and cooperations with international organizations such as UNCITRAL, and enhance the influence in international rule-making.

4. Play the role of talent training and perform the function of high-end think tank to promote the construction of foreign-related rule of law.

CIETAC will expand talent-training effects of the brand competitions such as the “CIETAC Cup”, expand the platform of CIETAC International Arbitration Institute, and well run the joint talent training programs with domestic and foreign universities. Besides, CIETAC will release influential research results such as the Annual Report on International Commercial Arbitration in China, and publish case compilations to form high-quality work products, thereby promoting the construction of the rule of law in arbitration.

5. Build the credibility of arbitration, comprehensively enhance supervision mechanism and risk prevention system.

CIETAC will enhance the mechanism on the supervision and management of the arbitrators to ensure that cases are heard in an honest, fair and lawful manner. CIETAC will reinforce the awareness of risk prevention, specify and refine the management systems, continuously improve the ability of risk prevention and control, and further expand and strengthen the cause of CIETAC by focusing on its main business and responsibilities.

When the seas are in turmoil, heroes are on their mettle. In the new year, CIETAC will continue to work hard and strive to make unremitting efforts to comprehensively promote the high-quality development of China’s arbitration in the new era and on the new journey.