China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (“CIETAC”) was established in 1956 by a decision of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. It is the first arbitration institution established in China and one of the major international permanent commercial arbitration institutions. CIETAC has long been committed to promoting the development of international commercial arbitration. To date, it has adjudicated over 70,000 arbitration cases involving 166 countries and regions, with its awards widely recognized and enforced. In 2021, CIETAC was rated as one of the top five most preferred international arbitration institutions by an authoritative international arbitration survey, marking the first time for arbitration institution from Chinese Mainland. In 2023, CIETAC retained the dual honors of Arbitration Credibility “Top Ten Arbitration Institutions in China” and “Top Ten Arbitration Institutions for Foreign-related Services”, ranking first in both categories. 

The term of office for arbitrators listed on the CIETAC Panel of Arbitrator is five years. The current term will expire on 30 April 2026. To build a world-class international arbitration institution and develop a first-class panel of arbitrators, CIETAC will commence the renewal process of the Panel of Arbitrator. The details are as follows:

I. Conditions for Application

In accordance with Chinese Arbitration Law, the CIETAC Code of Conduct for Arbitrators and Rules on the Conferral of Qualification of Arbitrators, the following conditions shall be met by applicants for CIETAC arbitrator:

1. Devoting to arbitration, with a fair, upright, and noble character; Able to hear cases in adherence to the principle of independence and fairness;

2. Supporting the Articles of Association of CIETAC, and willing to abide by the CIETAC Arbitration Rules, Code of Conduct for Arbitrators, Rules for Evaluating the Behavior of Arbitrators, and its other relevant regulations;

3. Being honest, diligent, prudent, with good insights and judgment, highly efficient and willing to learn, and with strong oral and written communication skills;

4. Chinese arbitrators shall fulfill the requirements specified in Article 13 of the Arbitration Law, which are: (i) Having passed the China’s National Judicial Examination, obtaining the legal professional qualification certificate, and having been engaged in arbitration work for at least 8 years; (ii) Having worked as a lawyer for at least 8 years; (iii) Having served as a judge for at least 8 years; (iv) Having been engaged in legal research or legal education, possessing a senior professional title; (v) Having acquired the knowledge of law, engaged in the field of economic and trade with senior professional titles or equivalent professional level;

5. Mastering a foreign language and able to use it as a working language, which requirement may be relaxed to a certain extent for a few well-known professionals;

6. Ensure sufficient time for handling arbitration cases;

7. No record of criminal penalties or severe administrative penalties, and no record of disciplinary actions or industry sanctions in the past five years;

8. In principle, not exceeding 65 years of age (by 1 May 2026);

Applicants who meet one of the following conditions and provide corresponding supporting documents will be given priority consideration.

1. Having served as an arbitrator for other arbitration institutions or as an ad hoc arbitrator, with rich experience in arbitration adjudication;

2. Having extensive experience in representing parties in international commercial arbitration cases;

3. Being a professor at a well-known law school, a senior legal executive of a multinational corporation, or an outstanding judge with over 15 years of experience in handling foreign-related commercial cases;

4. Being a professional in fields such as securities, futures, finance, construction projects, intellectual property, energy, Internet+, artificial intelligence, and other emerging industries;

5. Holding nationality or residing in countries or regions along the Belt and Road Initiative.

II. Submission of Application Materials

1. Applicant that meets the above conditions and voluntarily applies to be a CIETAC arbitrator, please fill in the online arbitrator application form on CIETAC’s official website (https://www.cietac.org/en/account/login) and submit before 24:00, 30 June 2025 (GMT+8). You may update online at any time before the deadline, but please ensure to click “Submit” after each update.

If you have already filled in the online application after 20 January 2020, it is recommended that you log in again to check and ensure the accuracy of the content in your application form.

If you have problems in filling in the online arbitrator application form, you may also download the Application Form here, and send the completed Application Form to arbitrators@cietac.org, or mail to CIETAC Supervision and Coordination Division, 6/F, CCOIC Building, 2 Huapichang Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing 100035, P. R. China.

2. Applicants shall submit one or two written recommendation letters from CIETAC arbitrators, experts or professors. Only a few domestic or international well-known professionals may be exempt from submitting recommendation letters.

The recommendation letters and other materials, if any, shall be submitted online or send to the above email address or mailing address.

3. Arbitrators who are currently listed on the CIETAC Panel of Arbitrators do not need to submit application.

III. Training, Review and Conferral of Qualification of Arbitrator

1. CIETAC will organize practical arbitration training for applicants who meet the requirements. Training notices will be sent to the email address provided by the applicants in the application form. Due to the limited number of seats for each training session, it may not be able to accommodate the needs of all applicants. Those who have participated in the practical arbitration training, please do not sign up again.

2. Those who participate in and pass the training will obtain a certificate. This certificate will be a reference for the qualification conferral in 2026 and later.

3. The CIETAC Secretariat will conduct a preliminary examination of the application materials (including training record), and then submit all the eligible applications to the CIETAC Arbitrator Qualification Examination Committee for review. Those applications who pass the review will be further submitted to the CIETAC Chairmen’s Council for final decision. Once approved by the Chairman’s Council, CIETAC shall issue the certificate and publish the new Panel of Arbitrators on 1 May 2026.

We warmly welcome professionals from home and abroad to join CIETAC.

Inquiry Email: arbitrators@cietac.org

China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission

14 March 2025