On the morning of 28 September 2018 (local time), the opening ceremony of CIETAC European Arbitration Centre (the “Centre”) and the“One Belt and One Road” and Arbitration Seminar was held in Vienna, Austria. Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and CIETAC Lu Pengqi, Chinese Ambassador to Austria Li Xiaosi, and President of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre Günther HORVATH, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Vice Chaireman Lu Pengqi, Ambassador Li Xiaosi and the Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Austria Gao Xingle jointly unveiled the plaque of the Centre. 

Lu said that CIETAC is the oldest and most influential commercial arbitration institution in China. Since its establishment in 1956, the CIETAC has adjudicated impartially over 30,000 international and domestic arbitration cases, with parties from more than 100 countries and regions. CIETAC was widely praised at home and abroad for its independent, fair and efficient commercial arbitration services, and became a well-known arbitration institution in the world. In recent years, CIETAC has continuously extended its service network. In addition to its Beijing headquarters, it established 11 branches in major cities in mainland China. In 2012, CIETAC established the Hong Kong Arbitration Centre in Hong Kong and established a North America Arbitration Centre in Vancouver, Canada this year.

The establishment of the Centre aims to provide high-quality and easily accessible arbitration legal services for parties in Europe and countries along the “Belt and Road”, further deepen China-EU economic and trade cooperation and better serve the “Belt and Road” construction.

Ambassador Li pointed out that CIETAC is an international arbitration institution with international influence and the Centre is the third branch established by CIETAC overseas and its only branch in Europe, which marked an important step for the internationalization of China’s arbitration. He emphasized that the establishment of an arbitration Centre in Europe by CIETAC serves the need to better serve the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, the need to expand China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, and the need to enrich the content of China-Austria friendly strategic partnership. He hoped that the Centre would seize the opportunity to actively expand its business, increase exchanges with its European counterparts, explore a diversified dispute resolution mechanism, promote arbitration to adapt to changes in the situation, and continuously achieve new developments.

President Günther Horvath warmly congratulated the establishment of the Centre. He pointed out that Austria is a member of the United Nations Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration and Vienna is one of the international arbitration venues that the parties prefer. The VIS Moot competition held in Vienna attracts about 400 teams from around the world every year as the most important international commercial moot court in the world. It is believed that Vienna's unique conditions can help the Centre to explore the European market and serve the China-Europe parties.

The “Belt and Road” and Arbitration Seminar was held after the opening ceremony. Eight CIETAC arbitrators and experts including Dr. Arthur Wolff, Dr. Zhao Hang, Dr. Sabine Stricker-Kellerer, Mr. Zhang Yulin, Ms. Sun Huawei, Mr. Mag Ralph Kilches, Director of the International Cases Division of CIETAC Ms. Zhang Ye, and Dr. Alice Meissner introduced and explained deeply around the legal risk prevention of “Belt and Road” construction, role and function of arbitration in the settlement of the “Belt and Road” commercial disputes, the advantages of Austria as an arbitration place, the CIETAC arbitration experience and other aspects. The seminar received enthusiastic response.

About 100 representatives from the arbitration, legal, business and academic circle as well as CIETAC arbitrators in China, Austria and other countries attended the landing ceremony and the seminar. Participants expressed that the establishment of the Centre was not only conducive to the development of China's arbitration, but also would play an active role in the development of European regional and international arbitration. They hoped that the Centre would take root and continue to grow and develop.

Vice President of the CIETAC Arbitration Court Dr. Zhao Jian, chaired over the above activities.