From March 20 to 21, 2025, a delegation led by Xie Changqing, Vice President of the Arbitration Court of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), accompanied the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) delegation headed by Ren Hongbin, President of CCPIT, to Belgrade, Serbia. The visit aimed to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation and promote arbitration-related legal exchanges.

On the morning of March 20, a delegation from the CIETAC attended the China-Serbia Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum. The event was addressed by Ren Hongbin, President of the CCPIT; Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS); Li Ming, Chinese Ambassador to Serbia; and Serbian Minister of Economy Slobodan Mesarović. Over 200 representatives from trade and investment promotion agencies, chambers of commerce, and enterprises from both countries participated in the forum.

During the forum, Vice President Xie Changqing, and Mr. Predrag Petrović, Secretary-General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, signed the Cooperation Agreement between the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and the Arbitration Court of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. The two institutions will engage in practical collaboration across multiple domains including arbitration promotion, joint research, mutual recommendation of arbitrators, and joint training programs, aiming to jointly enhance the legal arbitration service capabilities between China and Serbia and safeguard the healthy development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation. 

During their visit to Serbia, the CIETAC delegation engaged in in-depth exchanges with the local arbitration and business communities:

On the afternoon of March 20, the CIETAC delegation visited the Permanent Arbitration at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (officially abbreviated as SCC Arbitration Council). They were received by Mr. Vladimir Ðelić, Deputy Secretary-General of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, and Prof. Marko Jovanović, Director of the Arbitration Council, for a symposium. During the meeting, both institutions introduced their respective long-standing histories, institutional development strategies, case administration practices, arbitrator roster development, and distinctive features of their arbitration rules and practices. Both parties emphasized that the signing of the Cooperation Agreement should serve as a starting point to actively promote multifaceted and diversified collaboration between the two institutions. This includes advancing the broader application of arbitration among commercial entities in both countries, providing arbitration services tailored to the dispute resolution needs of the Sino-Serbian business communities, and contributing new chapters to the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

On the morning of March 21, the delegation from the CIETAC visited and conducted research at the Balkan Branch of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), a key Chinese-funded enterprise in the region. They hosted an exchange symposium titled "Legal Risks and Prevention Strategies for Chinese Enterprises Operating Overseas," which was attended by over 20 representatives, legal professionals, and lawyers both in-person and online.

During the symposium, enterprise representatives briefed the CIETAC delegation on their business operations in Serbia and Europe, as well as the difficulties and challenges encountered in their Serbian operations. Vice President Xie Changqing introduced the institution’s development history, business strengths, and critical role in safeguarding the healthy development of foreign trade and investment. She analyzed risks faced by Chinese enterprises in cross-border dispute resolution, emphasized the importance of formulating favorable arbitration clauses to mitigate risks, and provided recommendations on negotiation principles, strategies, and techniques for foreign-related arbitration clauses, citing exemplary clauses from CIETAC’s recent international cases. Mr. Cui Jun, Arbitrator of CIETAC and Chairman of Beijing Overseas Junhe Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd., shared insights via video link on engineering risks and risk prevention in Central and Eastern Europe (Southern Europe). He elaborated on China’s overseas engineering contracting landscape, contract design, document management, common dispute types, and resolution approaches using case studies, while offering tailored solutions to practical concerns raised by enterprises.

The participating representatives unanimously stated that this exchange symposium has enhanced enterprises' understanding of arbitration as a dispute resolution method, deepened their awareness of risks in overseas contracting and project management, and yielded substantial benefits, demonstrating the event's successful outcomes.

Liu Zhihong, Case Manager of CIETAC Domestic Cases Division, accompanied and participated in the aforementioned activities.