On June 27, the 2024 China High-Level Dialogue on Maritime and Commercial Arbitration was held in Beijing. Ren Hongbin, Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC), Hu Weilie, Chinese Vice Minister of Justice, Fu Xuyin, Chinese Vice Minister of Transport, and Wang Shumei, Senior Judge of Second Grade and Permanent Member (Vice-Minister Level) of the Judicial Committee of the Supreme People’s Court, attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Yu Jianlong, Vice Chairman of the CCPIT and the CMAC, presided over the opening ceremony.

Ren Hongbin pointed out that the international supply chain has become a hot topic among the international community. Much could be done in terms of arbitration to maintain the stability and smooth operation of the international supply chain. As China is accelerating the development of new quality productive forces, forging the synergy between international arbitration and technological innovation is a crucial task in the arbitration work. In response to the development needs of the times, we must work actively to build a global arbitration service system that covers a wide range and provides targeted and effective services, propel the development of new quality productive forces through high-quality maritime and commercial arbitration, and strengthen openness of and cooperation in global supply chains. First, reinforce communication and collaboration to tackle challenges in economic and trade cooperation between countries. Second, uphold an innovation-driven approach and make sustained efforts to enhance the quality of maritime and commercial arbitration services. Third, take an active part in global governance to collectively implement advanced arbitration concepts.

Hu Weilie said that the role of arbitration should be fully leveraged to ensure that professional and efficient legal services and safeguards are provided to resolve economic disputes in information technology, biotechnology and other emerging fields. This will contribute to the sound and rapid development of new quality productive forces. Focusing on building an arbitration system with Chinese characteristics that aligns with international norms, the Ministry of Justice will push ahead with its revision of the Arbitration Law and improvement of the rules of the arbitration system; step up the internationalization of arbitration institutions and build world-class ones; explore new ways to cultivate foreign-related legal personnel and develop a team of high-quality talents; deepen international arbitration exchanges and cooperation to increase the international influence of Chinese arbitration.

Fu Xuyin stated that streamlined, economical, and flexible, maritime and commercial arbitration has become an important way to resolve shipping trade disputes, a major part of the modern shipping service industry, and a crucial vehicle for enhancing the soft power of China’s transport development. He put forward three suggestions on enabling arbitration to play a greater role in the development of the international supply chain and the fostering of new quality productive forces, deepening the cooperation between the Ministry of Transport and the CCPIT and other departments, and working together to pursue high-quality development of the shipping industry. First, improve the law-based business environment of shipping; second, ramp up the resilience of the global shipping supply chain; and third, explore innovative practices in global shipping governance.

Wang Shumei said that the Dialogue came at an opportune time as the year 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the China Maritime Court, the establishment of which means the specialization of China’s maritime trial, and the 65th anniversary of the CMAC. Combined with the Dialogue’s theme, Wang put forth three suggestions. First, gain a thorough understanding of the new quality productive forces, and identify the entry point of arbitration to contribute to their development; second, accurately grasp the relationship between justice and arbitration, and support the building of an international commercial and maritime arbitration center; and third, make the most of technology to empower the formation of an international maritime and commercial dispute resolution mechanism that is fair, efficient, convenient, and cost-effective.

With the theme of “International Supply Chain Development & New Quality Productive Forces,” the Dialogue was jointly held by the CMAC, the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce of Sweden, the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration of Egypt and other domestic and international institutions. The event drew nearly 180,000 attendees, online and onsite.