In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect economic development. In addition, due to the changing global situation, international competition was increasingly fierce. Under the circumstances of major changes and a pandemic unseen in a century, commercial dispute resolution in China is confronting new challenges, facing new changes and ushering in new developments.

In the field of commercial arbitration, the promulgation of the Arbitration Law (Revision) (Draft for Comment) brought about many reforms to China’s current arbitration system, aroused widespread attention and discussion in the industry, and boosted arbitration research and the arbitration legal system to new levels. Arbitration institutions, including the Beijing Arbitration Commission/Beijing International Arbitration Center (hereinafter referred to as the “BAC/BIAC”), have duly issued new rules according to the needs of case handling and pandemic prevention and control in order to guide new arbitration practices, and the highlights of China’s judicial supervision and opening-up of arbitration are eye-catching.

In the field of commercial mediation, the Supreme People’s Court has continuously promoted the development of a “one-stop” diversified dispute resolution system to support international commercial mediation organizations in providing mediation services in free trade zones; the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court has innovatively introduced third-party mediation organizations to participate in bankruptcy reconciliation; and practices in coordination between arbitration and mediation have been constantly enriched. Commercial mediation is playing an increasingly important role in alternative dispute resolution in China.

In key professional fields, while actively responding to the impacts of the pandemic and focusing upon the resumption of work and production, legal construction and dispute resolution have also been developing.