With Chinese enterprises increasingly expanding overseas, the newly revised arbitration laws in both China and the United Kingdom reflect a broader trend in international arbitration toward convergence in building procedural trust for dispute resolution, legal experts said during a symposium in London on Thursday.

Hosted by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, or CIETAC, the event attracted around 50 experts and lawyers specializing in cross-border dispute resolution to discuss the implications of the new laws and opportunities for deeper cooperation between the Chinese and British arbitration communities.

Arbitration is a form of dispute resolution in which parties agree to have their disputes decided by independent arbitrators rather than through court litigation. It is widely used in international business.

China officially implemented a comprehensive revision of its arbitration law on March 1, bringing it more closely into line with international best practices and providing stronger support for overseas commerce.

Gu Yan, vice-president of the CIETAC Arbitration Court, briefed participants on five major revisions to the law, including the introduction of the concept of the seat of arbitration, the measured allowance of ad-hoc arbitration, and the recognition of online arbitration.

The new law also encourages arbitration institutions to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with overseas arbitration bodies and relevant international organizations.

"We hope British arbitrators will have more opportunities to hear cases with CIETAC in the coming five-year term," said Gu, adding that CIETAC launched a new panel of arbitrators in May, consisting of 2,308 arbitrators from 164 countries and regions, including 58 from the UK.

Adrian Hughes, a senior barrister and arbitrator with 39 Essex Chambers, echoed Gu's views on the importance of exchanges between Chinese and British legal professionals.

"I have no doubt that it's fundamental that arbitration practitioners from our two countries meet and discuss topics of mutual interest," said Hughes.

"Increasingly, we are jointly involved in arbitration cases, ranging from renewable energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa, or aviation contracts in Southeast Asia … Our links with CIETAC and Chinese arbitrator colleagues are increasingly important," he said.

The UK also made significant updates to its Arbitration Act last year. Experts at the symposium shared their analysis of the revised arbitration laws in both countries.

Arthur (Xiao) Dong, a court member of the London Court of International Arbitration, also a CIETAC arbitrator, noted that the Chinese and British systems are converging in areas such as governing law of arbitration agreement, disclosure obligation of arbitrators, and judicial support to arbitration.

"They are converging because they face the same demand that cross-border disputes require a common procedure language," said Dong. "There is a sufficient common ground to make arbitration predictable, credible, and enforceable. The route of convergence is therefore not imitation, but the search for procedural trust."

Kieran McCarthy, partner and head of international disputes at Gateley Legal, which co-hosted the symposium, said that as Chinese enterprises increasingly expand globally, they require sophisticated alternative dispute resolution frameworks to match the complexity of their international operations.

"Chinese lawyers operating and advising amidst that suite of foreign laws and regulations, including English law, will undoubtedly evolve with their clients, managing arbitrations, including CIETAC arbitrations across the globe," said McCarthy.

In 2025, CIETAC accepted 5,736 new arbitration cases involving disputed amounts of 228.6 billion yuan ($33.7 billion), including cross-border disputes spanning 97 countries and regions.