Online Dispute Resolution during COVID-19: The Practice of Major Arbitral Institutions in China

COVID-19 AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC LAW: CHINA AND A CHANGING WORLD (Kun Fan & Charlie Xiao-chuan Weng eds., Singapore: Academy Publishing, 2023)

Posted: 10 Sep 2021 Last revised: 25 Oct 2023

See all articles by Yuan Fang

Yuan Fang

Washington University School of Law

Yan Wang

Beijing Arbitration Commission (BAC)

Date Written: August 16, 2020

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic imposes severe impacts on people’s economic, cultural and social life. In light of dispute resolution, the requirement for social distancing challenges the traditional form of dispute settlement, whereas promotes the implementation of ODR. As a vital component of ODR, online arbitration has been evolving rapidly in China and the rest of the world. The major Chinese arbitration institutions, CIETAC, BAC, SCIA and CMAC, act proactively in response to the challenges arising from COVID-19.

Examining the practice of the major Chinese arbitral institutions in accordance with online arbitration rules or provisional guidelines during COVID-19, there are both experiences already gained and lessons to be learned. On one hand, the major arbitral institutions in China obtained experiences through their practice in terms of online case filing, online exchanges of case documents, virtual hearing, partial award, etc.; on the other hand, however, they are also faced with the legal barriers with relevance to the legitimacy of virtual hearing and confidentiality of online arbitration.

Compared with the jurisdictions beyond Mainland China with regard to their experiences in online arbitration during or prior to COVID-19, Chinese Arbitration Law is supposed to recognize the legitimacy of virtual hearing and assign less weight to the parties’ consent in the arbitral institution’s determination concerning virtual hearing; and the Chinese arbitral institutions are required to provide more protections related to confidentiality through measures for identity verification and information security.

Keywords: COVID-19, Online Arbitration, Virtual Hearing, Confidentiality

Suggested Citation

Fang, Yuan and Wang, Yan, Online Dispute Resolution during COVID-19: The Practice of Major Arbitral Institutions in China (August 16, 2020). COVID-19 AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC LAW: CHINA AND A CHANGING WORLD (Kun Fan & Charlie Xiao-chuan Weng eds., Singapore: Academy Publishing, 2023), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3920638 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3920638

Yuan Fang (Contact Author)

Washington University School of Law ( email )

One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https//www.linkedin.com/in/yuan-harry-fang-078842153

Yan Wang

Beijing Arbitration Commission (BAC) ( email )

China

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