Thank You, Arbitrators of the 23rd CIETAC Cup

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Thank You, Arbitrators of the 23rd CIETAC Cup

Dear Arbitrators,

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude for your unwavering support and invaluable participation in the 23rd CIETAC Cup International Commercial Arbitration Moot (“CIETAC Cup”). This year marks a significant milestone in the history of the CIETAC Cup, as the number of participating teams, contestants, and arbitrators set another new record. Over the past two weeks, more than 1,000 students from 103 law schools, including those from the United Kingdom, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Egypt, as well as Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR, took part in a total of 221 hearings, combining online general rounds with in-person elimination and final rounds in Beijing. More than 270 arbitrators and evaluators from 27 countries and regions kindly devoted their time and expertise to this year’s competition, which underscores the truly international nature and impact of the CIETAC Cup. The online live stream of this year’s competition attracted more than 1.09 million views, with over 800,000 viewers watching the final and awarding ceremony in real time.

Thanks to your dedication and support, the 23rd CIETAC Cup has been a tremendous success despite the intensive schedule and organizational challenges. Many of the contestants have expressed their heartfelt thanks to you. Your insightful questions, probing interventions and constructive comments have greatly helped them deepen their understanding of real-world arbitration practice and inspired them to pursue careers in international commercial arbitration and dispute resolution more broadly. Your participation has made a significant contribution to their moot experience and personal growth, for which we are sincerely grateful.

The success of the 23rd CIETAC Cup is also attributed to the expert support behind the scenes, who worked tirelessly to prepare the Bench Brief and Guidance for Arbitrators. This effort enabled participating arbitrators, especially newcomers, to familiarize themselves with the Problem and moot procedural arrangements. We deeply appreciate your valuable contributions. We would also like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Memo Committee, led by the Chairman and two Vice Chairpersons, as well as the 12 dedicated members. Over an intensive review period, you collectively assessed 204 memoranda submitted by 103 teams. Your hard work, commitment and attention to detail in evaluating each memo’s structure, reasoning and use of authorities are truly appreciated and have greatly contributed to improving the overall quality of written advocacy in the competition.

With your continued support, we are confident that the CIETAC Cup will continue to grow and improve in the years to come. It has been a great pleasure and honor to work with you, and we warmly welcome your participation in the 24th CIETAC Cup in 2026.

With warm regards,

CIETAC Cup Organizing Committee

Navin G. AHUJA

Mediator and Arbitrator, Mediation Chambers

Co-President, Moot Alumni Association (MAA)

Yun ZHAO (President)

Henry Cheng Professor in International Law and Associate Dean, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong

Kun FAN (Vice President) 

Associate Professor, UNSW Law and Justice

Xiaofeng ZHANG (Vice President)

Partner, V&T Law Firm

Navin G. AHUJA

Vice President, Moot Alumni Association (MAA)

Xianyue BAI

Partner, Grandall Law Firm (Tianjin)

Cong CHEN

Senior Partner, Tiantai Law Firm

Wen DAI

Partner, Zhong Lun Law Firm

Huaning GU

CIETAC Arbitrator

Maximilian (Zheng) HAN

Partner, Jinmao Law Firm

Sijia LI

Partner, Fangda Partners

Brad WANG

Deputy Secretary General, CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center

Keke XING

Partner, Yuanhe Partners

Ying ZENG

Partner, Han Kun Law Offices

Zoe ZHANG 

Partner, Tiger Partners

Vicky ZHAO 

Partner, JunHe LLP