Interview: Building CIETAC's global role

The CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Centre opened its doors on September 24 2012

Why did CIETAC establish a Hong Kong Arbitration Centre?

The Hong Kong government is committed to making the territory a leading arbitration centre in Asia, inviting renowned arbitration institutions like the International Court of Arbitration (ICC) and CIETAC to set up Hong Kong branches in order to attract more interested parties to settle disputes here.

CIETAC is China's oldest and most experienced arbitration institution, accepting the majority of foreign-related arbitration cases in mainland China. Cases involving Hong Kong parties rank second in the total number of cases that CIETAC accepts. CIETAC decided to open the Hong Kong Arbitration Centre to be closer to the parties. It provides another arbitration resolution for parties seeking to settle disputes in Hong Kong.

CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Centre is the first overseas branch of CIETAC, pushing forward its drive to provide the same services outside mainland China. It is still up in the air whether or not to open another overseas branch – it is up to the development and market demands. In my view, CIETAC will not open another branch outside China in the short term.

How will CIETAC's role in international arbitration change?

The role of CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Centre is to promote arbitration services as one of the dispute resolution options for interested parties. CIETAC wishes to cooperate with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), ICC and other institutions to learn from their international experiences. Establishing the Hong Kong Arbitration Centre will aid in CIETAC's going global directive and help integrate itself into the international family of arbitration centres.

How does CIETAC Hong Kong interact with Beijing?

CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Centre is a branch of CIETAC, which was established under Hong Kong law. It bears the role and responsibility of a sub-commission of CIETAC as stipulated in the CIETAC Arbitration Rules.