International Commercial Arbitration in China: Locating the Development of CIETAC in the Context of International and Domestic Factors

The China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) is China’s principal body for resolving commercial disputes between foreign and domestic parties. As China’s economic influence has grown, so has the importance of CIETAC as a component in the international commercial arbitration system. Since its inception in 1956, CIETAC has undergone a significant transformation that has followed China’s adoption of market-based reforms and the country’s deeper integration into the international economic order. Yet CIETAC remains endowed with particular characteristics that distinguish it from conventional norms in this field. As this paper will argue, CIETAC’s current form reflects China’s distinct economic culture and a foreign policy that favours balanced engagement with the existing order. An understanding of the development of CIETAC in the context of these factors will enable practitioners and policymakers to more effectively work with the body and anticipate its evolution going forward