Hong Kong Bauhinia Magazine: 

Arbitration is the internationally recognized standard approach for resolving commercial disputes. What concrete measures have you taken to improve the international commercial arbitration system and cultivate arbitral institutions? Thank you.

Wang Zhenjiang:

Mr. Yang will answer this question.

Yang Xiangbin:

Thank you for the question. As you noted, arbitration is indeed the internationally recognized standard approach for resolving commercial disputes. It plays a crucial role in facilitating investment, trade and economic growth across different countries and regions. The resolution adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee mentioned arbitration multiple times, outlining clear requirements. These included deepening reform of the arbitration system, improving international commercial arbitration and mediation systems, cultivating world-class arbitration institutions, and promoting innovation in maritime arbitration systems and rules. These emphases demonstrate the great importance attached to arbitration and its development by the CPC Central Committee. To implement the arrangements and requirements set forth at the third plenary session, we will focus on promoting arbitration-related reforms and concentrate our efforts on three key aspects:

First, we are quickly improving arbitration-related laws, systems and rules. Currently, we are promoting the revision of the arbitration law. A draft revision has been deliberated and approved at an executive meeting of the State Council. This revision is comprehensive, coming 30 years after the promulgation of the original arbitration law. It primarily focuses on addressing prominent issues in the current arbitration system and related practices, aligning with advanced international rules, and enriching and improving foreign-related arbitration systems. The aim is to improve arbitration laws and systems with Chinese characteristics that are compatible with international norms. This will enhance the international influence of China's arbitration system and better enable it to serve socioeconomic development and expand openness. 

Second, we are concretely improving arbitration credibility. With China's rapid socioeconomic development, the arbitration field has also evolved swiftly. Currently, there are 282 arbitration institutions with more than 80,000 arbitrators and staff members in the country. Over 5 million cases have been handled, involving assets worth more than 8 trillion yuan and parties from more than 100 countries and regions. In 2023 alone, arbitration institutions nationwide handled 607,000 cases, up 27.8% year on year. These cases involved assets worth 1.16 trillion yuan, an increase of 17.7% from the previous year. This development has been rapid, and the results have been fruitful. Moving forward, we will focus on enhancing arbitration credibility, recognizing its vital importance. We will further improve the mechanisms for developing and operating arbitration institutions and fully enhance the supervision and management of arbitration institutions and arbitrators. Our goal is to provide higher-quality and more efficient arbitration services for the public. 

Third, we have taken practical steps to enhance the international competitiveness of the arbitration sector. As Mr. Wang just mentioned, we are now actively advancing the construction of international commercial arbitration centers. In 2023, the eight arbitration institutions in pilot areas handled a total of 79,000 cases involving objects worth 600 billion yuan, accounting for 52% of the national total. The number of foreign-related cases concluded accounted for 72% of the national total and the worth of the objects involved was 69% of the national total. Since its launch in 2022, the construction of international commercial arbitration centers has progressed rapidly and achieved positive results.

Next, we will advance the construction of international commercial arbitration centers. Acting upon the arrangements and requirements of the third plenary session of the 20th Party Central Committee, we will give priority to cultivating a batch of world-class arbitration organizations, launch projects for this purpose, and build world-class brands of arbitration organizations, so as to give better play to the role of arbitration in serving high-quality development and high-standard opening up. Thank you.