Chinese Arbitration Adapts To International Market

FOCUS: The use of arbitration is growing in China, both in terms of the number of cases and the value of the claims involved. The country is working hard to improve the quality of its arbitration system to keep up, moving to adopt international standards wherever possible.

There were 235 arbitration commissions in mainland China in 2014 and these administered a total of 113,660 cases, a rise of 9% from the previous year. The total value of claims was 265 billion yuan (US$42 billion), a 61% increase from 2013 and five times the value of claims in 2004.

The Supreme People's Court (SPC) and major Chinese arbitration institutions are now making determined efforts to improve the legal environment for arbitration cases and to clear up some issues that have arisen in the past year.