On December 18, the 2024 Belt and Road High-Level Dialogue on International Commercial Arbitration was successfully held in Xiamen, Fujian. The event was jointly organized by ICC China , the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), the China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC), and the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

Yu Jianlong, Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Chamber of International Commerce  (CCPIT), and You Wenchang, Member of Standing Committee  of the Xiamen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Party Secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Xiamen Municipal Committee , attended the Opening Ceremony and delivered speeches. Claudia Salomon, President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration , and Shen Sibao, Chairman of the ICC China Commission on Arbitration and ADR and President of the China International Economic and Trade Law Research Association , addressed the Opening Ceremony via video. The Opening Ceremony was moderated by Zhu Jiwei, Deputy Director General of the ICC China Secretariat .

Yu Jianlong emphasized that international commercial arbitration not only provides businesses with an efficient and fair dispute resolution mechanism but also offers crucial support for global rule of law cooperation. He expressed hope that all parties would follow the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits to promote the establishment of a regional and global arbitration legal community. He also called for efforts to improve arbitration transparency and facilitation to create a stable international economic and trade environment, as well as to accelerate the pace of digitalization, networking, and intelligent arbitration to inject new momentum into international commercial arbitration.

Liu Xinping, Vice President  of the Xiamen Intermediate People’s Court of Fujian Province , Li Hu, Vice Chairman  and Secretary General of CMAC, Gu Yan, Vice President of the Arbitration Court of CIETAC , and Tang Hanjie, Vice Chairman of the ICC China Commission on Arbitration and ADR , delivered keynote speeches at the event. Vice President Gu Yan noted that arbitration is crucial for creating a law-based business environment and promoting high-quality development. Over the 30 years since the promulgation of the Arbitration Law of the People’s Republic of China, CIETAC has played a pivotal role in advancing China’s arbitration legal system and practice, and has achieved significant results. Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, CIETAC has handled a total of 3,293 cases involving Belt and Road countries, with a total dispute amount of 191.7 billion RMB. In 2023, CIETAC achieved near-complete coverage of Belt and Road countries in its arbitration cases. Looking ahead to the next decade of Belt and Road cooperation, CIETAC is committed to working with all parties to deepen multi-level, multi-channel, and all-round rule-of-law cooperation, jointly addressing global challenges, and promoting high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The theme of this Conference was “New Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, New Chapter in International Arbitration.” Multiple arbitration experts, scholars, and lawyers from both China and abroad shared their insights and engaged in discussions with the audience on three key topics: “Interconnectivity of Cross-Cultural Business Relationships: Global Business Research and Practices Focused on Belt and Road,” “Rule Innovations in Supporting Belt and Road Dispute Resolution,” and “Innovation in Maritime Arbitration Rules and Latest Practices.” Over 180 experts, scholars, representatives from business associations, and entrepreneurs from the legal, economic, and arbitration fields attended the event in person.