Sichuan–Hong Kong Legal Exchange Dialogue Successfully Held

Chengdu, September21, 2026-International Commercial Dispute Prevention and Settlement Organization (ICDPASO)Arbitration Court, the Sichuan Sub-Commission of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), and the CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center jointly hosted in Chengdu the Sichuan–Hong Kong Legal Exchange Dialogue, themed “Institutional Choices, Practical Challenges and Future Prospects for Ad Hoc and Institutional Arbitration under the New Arbitration Law.” Representatives from arbitration institutions, judicial authorities,enterprises, law firms and other sectors of legal practice engaged in discussions on the institutional coordination and practical development of ad hoc and institutional arbitration under the newly revised Arbitration Law of the People’s Republic of China.

At the opening session, Jason CHIA, Secretary-General of ICDPASO, noted that the new Arbitration Law has created new institutional space for innovation in China’s foreign-related arbitration system and for the development of international commercial dispute resolution mechanisms. As a dual-track framework of ad hoc and institutional arbitration gradually takes shape, how to leverage the respective institutional strengths of different arbitration models and improve supporting services and coordination mechanisms has become an important issue requiring joint consideration by the arbitration community. ICDPASO will continue to leverage its strengths as an international organization and its professional resources, deepen exchanges and cooperation with arbitration institutions, judicial authorities and legal service providers in China and abroad, and actively explore the development of rules and practical application of dispute resolution mechanisms, including ad hoc arbitration.FAN Jun, Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Sichuan Sub-council, attended the event, which was hosted by AN Ping, Deputy Secretary-General of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) Sichuan Sub-Commission.

During the expert dialogue session, LI Lianjun , Senior Partner in the Hong Kong office of Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP and CIETAC Arbitrator, and WANG Haocheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center, held a dialogue on “Coordination and Practice of Ad Hoc and Institutional Arbitration.” Drawing on arbitration systems and practical experience in China and other jurisdictions, they exchanged views on the institutional features, procedural arrangements and practical coordination of the two arbitration models.

The roundtable discussion, themed “Ad Hoc Arbitration vs. Institutional Arbitration: Frontiers in Practice and Theory,” brought together ZHONG Yuan, Head of Case Management at ICDPASO; OU Jintao, Legal Counsel of the CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center; GUO Chang, Judge of the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court; WU Yuhong, Deputy Director of Beijing DeHeng (Chengdu) Law Offices and CIETAC Arbitrator; and ZHOU Yanrui, Partner at Tahota Law Firm, among others. The participants exchanged views on a range of issues arising in the implementation of the new Arbitration Law, including the choice between ad hoc and institutional arbitration, the constitution of arbitral tribunals and procedural management, judicial support and supervision, cross-border dispute resolution, cooperation with overseas arbitration institutions, as well as other key practical issues and challenges.

Through in-depth dialogue among arbitration and legal practitioners from Sichuan and Hong Kong, the event further promoted exchanges and research on the institutional innovations and practical issues arising from the new Arbitration Law. ICDPASO will continue to strengthen communication and cooperation with international arbitration institutions and legal service providers, advance research on international commercial arbitration systems and dispute resolution mechanisms, and provide commercial parties with more professional, efficient, and accessible services for the prevention and resolution of international commercial disputes.

By WANG Jinghao, ZHONG Yuan