The China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) is one of the major permanent arbitration institutions in the world.

Formerly known as the Foreign Trade Arbitration Commission, CIETAC was set up in April 1956 under the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in accordance with the Decision Concerning the Establishment of A Foreign Trade Arbitration Commission Within the China Council For the Promotion of International Trade adopted on May 6, 1954 at the 215th session of the Government Administration Council. To meet the needs of China’s ever-developing economic and trade relations with foreign countries after the adoption of the "reform and opening-up" policy, the Foreign Trade arbitration was first renamed as Foreign Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission in 1980 pursuant to the State Council’s Notice Concerning the Conversion of the Foreign Trade Arbitration Commission Into the Foreign Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, and then as the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission in 1988 pursuant to the State Council’s Official Reply Concerning the Renaming of the Arbitration Commission as the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and Amendment of Its Arbitration Rules. Since 2000, CIETAC is also known as the Arbitration Court of the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC).

CIETAC independently and impartially resolves economic and trade disputes, as well as investment disputes by means of arbitration. 

Headquartered in Beijing, CIETAC has South China Sub-Commission in Shenzhen, Shanghai Sub-Commission, Tianjin International Economic and Financial Arbitration Center (Tianjin Sub-Commission), Southwest Sub-Commission in Chongqing, Zhejiang Sub-Commission in Hangzhou, Hubei Sub-Commission in Wuhan, Fujian Sub-Commission in Fuzhou, Silk Road Arbitration Center in Xi'an, Jiangsu Arbitration Center in Nanjing, Sichuan Sub-Commission in Chengdu, Shandong Sub-Commission in Jinan, Hainan Arbitration Center in Haikou and Xiong'an Sub-Commission in Xiong'an. CIETAC set up its Hong Kong Arbitration Center in September 2012. In July 2018, The North American Arbitration Center was established in Vancouver, Canada . In September 2018, The European Arbitration Center was established in Vienna, Austria.

CIETAC and its sub-commissions/arbitration centers constitute a single arbitration institution. They adopt the same set of Arbitration Rules and the same Panel of Arbitrators. It is explicitly stipulated in CIETAC’s Articles of Association that sub-commissions/arbitration centers are branches of CIETAC which accept arbitration applications and administer arbitration cases with CIETAC’s authorization.

In order to meet the needs of the development of its arbitration practices, CIETAC also successively established 29 liaison offices in different regions and specific business sectors to provide parties with convenient arbitration advice.

Throughout the past 60 years, CIETAC has made prominent contributions to the legislation of the Chinese Arbitration Law and the development of the arbitration practice in China, has maintained positive relations and cooperation with major arbitration institutions across the world, and has gained reputation at home and abroad as an independent, impartial and efficient arbitration institution.