In the context of harmonisation of arbitration law and practice worldwide, to what extent do local legal traditions still influence local arbitration practices, especially at a time when non-Western countries are playing an increasingly important role in international commercial and financial markets? How are the new economic powers reacting to the trend towards harmonisation? China provides a good case study, with its historic tradition of non-confrontational means of dispute resolution now confronting current trends in transnational arbitration. Is China showing signs of adapting to the current trend of transnational arbitration? On the other hand, will Chinese legal culture influence the practice of arbitration in the rest of the world? To address these challenging questions it is necessary to examine the development of arbitration in the context of China's changing cultural and legal structures. Written for international business people, lawyers, academics and students, this book gives the reader a unique insight into arbitration practice in China, based on a combination of theoretical analysis and practical insights. It explains contemporary arbitration in China from an interdisciplinary perspective and with a comparative approach, setting Chinese arbitration in its wider social context to aid understanding of its history, contemporary practice, the legal obstacles to modern arbitration and possible future trends. In 2011 the thesis on which this book was based was named 'Best Thesis in International Studies' by the Swiss Network for International Studies. “What distinguishes this work from other books on international arbitration is its interdisciplinary perspective and comparative approach...this book makes a remarkable contribution to the understanding of arbitration in China and transnational arbitration in general. Academics, scholars and students of international arbitration, comparative studies and globalisation may all find this book stimulating. It also provides useful guidance for practitioners involved or interested in arbitration in China.” From the Foreword by Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler

A prosperous economy goes hand in hand with a competent, impartial, and efficient legal system. International investment is only possible when the business parties are confident that adequate dispute resolution possibilities exist. A conference on "Arbitration in China" was held by the Association for International Arbitration (AIA) in March 2009. This book - a product of the conference - highlights the newest opportunities and updates - for lawyers, arbitrators, mediators, and investors - about arbitration and mediation in the event a dispute were to arise with Chinese partners. The book includes the conference's opening remarks, presented by the president of the AIA, Johan Billiet, who highlights the differences between Chinese and 'Western' arbitration. Other contributions include: the issue of mediation and arbitration in China * International Chamber of Commerce arbitration in China * arbitration differences between China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and other Asian institutions, such as Hong Kong International Arbitration Center, Singapore International Arbitration Center, Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, and Japan Commercial Arbitration Association * recent developments in Chinese arbitration * the issue of recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards in China.

This overview and analysis of current arbitration law and practice in mainland China offers critical analysis of significant Chinese arbitration law materials and key cases decided by the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It also provides the full texts of around two hundred decisions of the Supreme People's Court of the PRC dating from 1990 to 2013, with enclosures of lower People's Courts' decisions presented in a systematic fashion. The analysis not only highlights the importance of the materials, judicial interpretations and key cases, but also enables readers to read mainland Chinese statutes, judiciary interpretations and cases independently and confidently.

The book provides a comprehensive and practical overview of arbitration in the People’s Republic of China. The process of arbitrating a dispute is described from the perspective of a non-Chinese individual or business. Readers are guided through the typical course of events in an arbitration process. By avoiding both excessive technicality and undue simplification, the book appeals to both law professionals and business managers, and is useful for practitioners and non-experts alike. Recent developments in Chinese law on the matter, up to the first quarter of 2015, has been taken into account in order to provide readers with a pragmatic, up-to-date presentation of the topic. For the same reasons, illustrative reference is made to the Shanghai FTZ Arbitration Rules. The relevant provisions are noted throughout the text; the three appendices at the end of the book allow for easy referencing of the main legislation and regulations. The appendices include English versions of the most important PRC Statutes and Interpretations of Statutes on arbitration, the Arbitration Rules of the main Chinese arbitration institutions and the official Model Arbitration Clauses suggested by those institutions.

The new rules of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) that came into effect on 1 May 2012 are widely recognized as the full commitment of the Chinese government to the international arbitration system. Clarifications of the scope of the Arbitration Law to include contractual disputes, disputes over rights and interests in property, and disputes between legal persons and other organizations, as well as the firm establishment of the arbitration agreement as the sole and exclusive basis for founding the jurisdiction of an arbitral tribunal, greatly allay any residual apprehension on the part of foreign investors. This third edition of a book that has been widely relied upon since 2003 by business people and their counsel with interests in China is the first publication to offer comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the CIETAC Rules 2012. In addition to the matchless features for which earlier editions are so greatly valued – such as in-depth coverage of enforcement of foreign judgements in China and of Chinese judgements elsewhere, measures to overcome local protectionism, effects of China’s most important bilateral investment treaties (BITs), and arbitration-related interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court – the new edition highlights such aspects of the CIETAC Rules 2012 as the following: the new mechanism of consolidation of arbitrations; power to grant interim measures via the forms of procedural orders or interim awards; procedure of suspension of arbitration; conservator measures; interlocutory award and partial award; combining conciliation with arbitration; and expedited process under a new summary procedure. With first-hand expert guidance on the actual handling of arbitration cases, recommended arbitration agreement clauses for numerous contingencies, case studies and comparative cases to elucidate the handling of specific issues, abundant legal instruments for quick, direct reference to the relevant law, and an annex with English texts of the most important laws and regulations, this book offers all the details and insights a practitioner needs. While Arbitration Law and Practice in China is primarily a detailed, practical examination of Chinese arbitration practice and related laws, the Third Edition’s special significance lies in its thorough and timely coverage of the CIETAC Rules 2012. For this reason especially it will be of great practical value to business people everywhere operating or seeking opportunities to partner with Chinese enterprises. It will also be useful to corporate counsel, arbitration institutions, and students of dispute resolution.

China's ever-expanding commercial influence has attracted global attention on how its civil and commercial disputes are resolved. This compelling new book, Dispute Resolution in China, offers a detailed examination of the elements in the Chinese legal system and the relevant reforms to the multiplicity of approaches to civil and commercial disputes in China today. This book reveals how civil litigation, commercial arbitration, mediation, and their hybrid dispute resolution have distinctly responded to, reformed, and developed in the context of China’s transformational economic growth, societal development, and international interaction in the last two decades. It situates these developments and continued experimentation within a unique hybrid of empirical, contextual, and comparative analytical framework, while paving productive pathways towards the future. This book argues that, rather than being a legal project, China’s civil and commercial dispute resolution system is essentially a social development project, which distinguishes the Chinese approach to civil justice reform from contemporary civil justice movements elsewhere. Among the primary methods of dispute resolution, commercial arbitration in China today uniquely transcending the traditional socio-political constraints, its reform has developed in favor of market-oriented considerations and shaped by China’s socio-economic dynamics and internationalization needs. By contrast, civil litigation and mediation being more instrumentalist in nature, their reform is socio-politically embedded and continues to prioritize social stability. This book also shines a fresh light on comparative assessments of top-down and bottom-up changes in China’s dispute resolution discourse, as well as on how China speaks to international dispute resolution systems. Original and rich in its analysis, this book will be essential reading and invaluable reference tool for scholars with a focus on Chinese law, comparative and international dispute resolution, and on broader legal, institutional, economic, social, political and cultural dimensions of dispute resolution development.

Arbitration is the dominant method in the world for resolving international commercial disputes. As compared with institutional arbitration, ad hoc arbitration has many advantages that make it a preferred way to resolve commercial disputes on many occasions. The Arbitration Law of the People’s Republic of China, however, requires that parties appoint an arbitration institution in their arbitration agreement; otherwise an ad hoc arbitration agreement is invalid. This rule seems to preclude ad hoc arbitration under Chinese law and threatens the validity of many arbitration agreements that are imperfectly drafted. Fortunately, however, this does not mean Chinese courts will never enforce an ad hoc arbitration agreement or an ad hoc arbitration award. This book informs parties and practitioners of potential pitfalls related to ad hoc arbitration in China and offers practical guidance. It also conducts a comparative study of the history of arbitration in the Western world and in China, to identify the reasons for this hostility to ad hoc arbitration and calls for changes to this requirement under Chinese law.