Immediately following China’s Reform and Opening-up in 1983, the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (also known as the South China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, Greater Bay Area International Arbitration Center) (hereinafter referred to as the “SCIA”) was established in Shenzhen, the first special economic zone in China. As a pioneer arbitration institution in China, SCIA is China’s first arbitral institution in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region, and is also the world’s first arbitral institution established as a statutory body with an international governance mechanism. Over the past four decades, SCIA has provided arbitration and mediation services to corporates and individuals spreading over 141 countries and regions worldwide.

SCIA’s current Panel of Arbitrators has been put in effect since 21 February 2022 and is due to expire on 20 February 2025. In accordance with the Ordinance on the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (“Ordinance”) and the decisions of its Council, SCIA is now updating the Panel of Arbitrators and is accepting applications for arbitrator qualification from around the world.

I.Requirements

(I)Statutory qualifications. Applicants must meet the requirements listed in the Arbitration Law of the People’s Republic of China and Article 21 of the Ordinance.

(II)Preferred qualifications. Preference is given to those who meet one or more of the following ten criteria:

1.Outstanding research achievements or extensive practical experience in arbitration, mediation, negotiation facilitation, expert evaluation, and related fields;

2.Extensive experience in adjudicating or representing clients in international or domestic commercial cases;

3.Extensive experience in investment arbitration cases;

4.Extensive experience in ad hoc arbitration;

5.Extensive experience in cross-border recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards;

6.Extensive experience in resolving commercial disputes across different legal systems;

7.Notable expertise in the legal systems of Hong Kong SAR or Macao SAR;

8.Notable expertise in fields such as high-tech, intellectual property, maritime affairs, maritime trade, capital markets, international investment, international trade, or international infrastructure projects;

9.Extensive experience with serving as an arbitrator in a prestigious international arbitration moot competition;

10.Professors at leading Chinese Mainland or overseas law schools, senior legal counsels at multinational corporations, prominent lawyers from international law firms, or distinguished judges with at least 15 years of past experience in adjudicating international commercial cases.

(III)Other requirements. Application is not open to current civil servants. A Chinese Mainland applicant should obtain the written consent from his or her employer if necessary.

II.Selection Process

(I)Submission of Application

Chinese Mainland and overseas applicants, including the existing arbitrators currently listed on the Panel of Arbitrators, are required to fill in the online application form (https://arbitrators.scia.com.cn/applyArbitrator) before 24:00 midnight on 25 September 2024, Beijing time.

(II)Qualifications Evaluation and Interview

For Chinese Mainland applicants who are currently on the Panel: SCIA Council’s Arbitrators Qualification and Ethics Examination Committee (AQEEC) will first evaluate an applicant’s performance during his or her tenure. Those passing the evaluation will be directly admitted to the list of candidates for further consideration for inclusion to the Panel. Those who do not, they may be given a chance of interview at the discretion of AQEEC. In the event that they have passed such an interview, they will also be added to the list of candidates.For Chinese Mainland non-Panel applicants: AQEEC will evaluate the applicant based on his or her professional expertise, industry experience, and professional achievements and determine whether the applicant is required to participate in the interview organized by AQEEC (Special note: participation in examination and their  exam scores from SCIA’s 2021 arbitrator training program will be factors of consideration for AQEEC). Those passing the interview will be added to the list of candidates.Applicants from the Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, the Taiwan region, and foreign countries can fill in the online application form (https://arbitrators.scia.com.cn/applyArbitrator) or submit their application form by email (secretariat@scia.com.cn). Their eligibility for candidacy will be separately evaluated by AQEEC.AQEEC’s decision on an applicant’s candidacy is final.

(III)Council Deliberation

The candidate list will be submitted to the Council for deliberation. For those who are finally approved, the Council will recognize them as arbitrators of SCIA and add them to the new Panel of Arbitrators.

Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration

4 September 2024

Enquiries:

Mr. Chen (0086 755 83509945)

Mr. Guo (0086 755 83501865)Email: secretariat@scia.com.cn