2016年以来，中国仲裁的司法环境日趋友善，中国中央政府对仲裁事业发展的态度也越来越开明和支持。

       最高人民法院对仲裁的支持体现在三个方面，一是发布司法解释，从临时措施、司法审查、裁决执行等方面支持仲裁发展；二是设立国际商事法庭，选择国际商事仲裁机构共同构建“一站式”国际商事纠纷解决机制；三是发布司法政策文件，从宏观方面改善仲裁的司法环境。

       在临时措施方面，最高人民法院于2016年11月发布《关于人民法院办理财产保全案件若干问题的规定》，为仲裁过程中采取财产保全措施提供了有力保障。2019年4月，最高人民法院发布《关于内地与香港特别行政区法院就仲裁程序相互协助保全的安排》，以香港为仲裁地，并由香港特别行政区政府和最高人民法院双方确认的机构或者常设办事处管理的仲裁程序当事人，可以依法向内地法院申请财产保全、证据保全和行为保全。2019年9月，香港特别行政区政府公布了6家符合资格的机构和常设办事处名单。2019年10月，上海海事法院作出该《安排》项下的第一例财产保全裁定，仲裁机构为香港国际仲裁中心。

       在司法审查方面，最高人民法院于2017年12月发布《关于仲裁司法审查案件归口办理有关问题的通知》，将国内国际仲裁司法审查案件统一交由涉外审判庭或合议庭归口办理，确保裁判标准的统一。同月最高人民法院发布《关于仲裁司法审查案件报核问题的有关规定》、《关于审理仲裁司法审查案件若干问题的规定》，维持涉外（港澳台）仲裁司法审查案件直至最高人民法院核准的“三级法院”报核制度，创立了非涉外（港澳台）仲裁司法审查案件直至高级人民法院核准的“两级法院”报核制度。

       在裁决执行方面，最高人民法院于2018年2月发布《关于人民法院办理仲裁裁决执行案件若干问题的规定》，统一了仲裁裁决执行尺度。

       2018年6月，最高人民法院发布《关于设立国际商事法庭若干问题的规定》，决定选定符合条件的国际商事调解机构、国际商事仲裁机构与国际商事法庭共同构建调解、仲裁、诉讼有机衔接的纠纷解决平台，形成“一站式”国际商事纠纷解决机制。2018年12月，中国国际经济贸易仲裁委员会等5家仲裁机构和2家调解中心被纳入该解决机制。根据2018年11月最高人民法院发布的《国际商事法庭程序规则（试行）》，这些仲裁机构受理的标的额在人民币3亿元以上国际商事仲裁案件的保全、仲裁裁决的撤销和执行由国际商事法庭受理。

       目前，最高人民法院第一国际商事法庭设立在广东省深圳市，第二国际商事法庭设立在陕西省西安市。

       在宏观方面，从2016年6月开始，最高人民法院连续发布《关于人民法院进一步深化多元化纠纷解决机制改革的意见》《关于人民法院为“一带一路”建设提供司法服务和保障的若干意见》《关于为自由贸易试验区建设提供司法保障的意见》，要求各级法院加强与仲裁机构的对接，积极支持仲裁制度改革，促进国际商事海事仲裁在“一带一路”建设中发挥作用，支持自贸试验区仲裁制度创新。例如，《关于为自由贸易试验区建设提供司法保障的意见》规定，在自贸试验区内注册的外商独资企业相互之间约定商事争议提交域外仲裁的，不应仅以其争议不具有涉外因素为由认定相关仲裁协议无效，就是对之前“无涉外因素争议不能提交境外仲裁”原则的重大突破。

       中国中央政府对仲裁的态度也越来越开明和支持。 2019年4月，中办、国办联合发布《关于完善仲裁制度提高仲裁公信力的若干意见》，认为仲裁是中国法律规定的纠纷解决制度，也是国际通行的纠纷解决方式。2019年7月，中办、国办联合发布《关于加快推进公共法律服务体系建设的意见》，提出要整合仲裁优势资源，打造国际知名仲裁机构，促进和支持仲裁机构参与国际商事争端解决。

       2019年7月，国务院发布《中国（上海）自由贸易试验区临港新片区总体方案》，允许境外知名仲裁及争议解决机构经上海市人民政府司法行政部门登记并报国务院司法行政部门备案，在新片区内设立业务机构，就国际商事、海事、投资等领域发生的民商事争议开展仲裁业务。

       2015年起，香港国际仲裁中心、国际商会、新加坡国际仲裁中心、大韩商事仲裁院均在上海设立了代表处。他们是否将在临港新片区成立业务机构，我们拭目以待。最高人民法院是否会在临港新片区成立第三个国际商事法庭，或者上海市高级人民法院是否会在临港新片区成立上海国际商事法院，都是值得期待的未来。

笔者坚信，在友善的司法环境中，在积极的政府支持下，中国仲裁事业将迎来更加美好的明天。　　

Arbitration in China Will Have a Bright Prospect

Since 2016, the judicial environment for arbitration in China has become increasingly friendly, and the Central Government of China has adopted an increasingly liberal and supportive attitude towards the development of arbitration.

The Supreme People's Court's support for arbitration is reflected in three aspects. The first is the issuance of judicial interpretations, which supports the development of arbitration from the aspects of interim measures, judicial review and enforcement of awards; the second is the establishment of international commercial courts, which builds a "one-stop" international commercial dispute settlement mechanism jointly with international commercial arbitration institutions; and the third is the issuance of judicial policy documents, which improves the judicial environment for arbitration from a macro perspective.

In terms of interim measures, the Supreme People's Court issued the Provisions on Several Issues Concerning the Handling of Property Preservation Cases by the People's Courts in November 2016, providing a powerful guarantee for the adoption of property preservation measures in the arbitration process. In April 2019, the Supreme People's Court issued the Arrangement between Courts of the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for Mutual Assistance and Preservation Measures in Arbitration Proceedings. According to this Arrangement, parties to arbitration procedures that take Hong Kong as the place of arbitration and are managed by institutions or permanent offices unanimously confirmed by both the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Supreme People's Court may apply to Mainland courts for property preservation, evidence preservation and act preservation according to law. In September 2019, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced a list of six qualified institutions and permanent offices. In October 2019, the Shanghai Maritime Court made the first property preservation ruling under the Arrangement and the arbitration institution was the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center.

With regard to judicial review, the Supreme People's Court issued the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning the Centralized Handling of Judicial Review Cases on Arbitration in December 2017, transferring domestic judicial review cases on international arbitration to foreign-related tribunals or collegial panels for centralized handling to ensure the unification of adjudication standards. In the same month, the Supreme People's Court issued the Relevant Provisions on Issues Concerning Report and Approval of Cases Involving Judicial Review of Arbitration and Provisions on Several Issues Concerning Trial of Cases Involving Judicial Review of Arbitration, maintaining the "three-level courts" reporting and approval system for foreign-related (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) judicial review cases on arbitration up to the approval of the Supreme People's Court, and establishing a "two-level courts" reporting and approval system for non-foreign-related (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) judicial review cases on arbitration up to the approval of the Higher People's Courts.

Regarding the enforcement of awards, the Supreme People's Court issued the Provisions on Several Issues Concerning People's Courts Handling Cases of Enforcement of Arbitration Awards in February 2018, unifying the enforcement criteria of arbitration awards.

In June 2018, the Supreme People's Court issued the Provisions on Several Issues Concerning the Establishment of International Commercial Courts, deciding to select qualified international commercial mediation institutions, international commercial arbitration institutions and international commercial courts to jointly build a dispute settlement platform that organically integrates mediation, arbitration and litigation to form a "one-stop" international commercial dispute settlement mechanism. In December 2018, five arbitration institutions and two mediation centers, including the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, were incorporated into the settlement mechanism. According to the Rules of Procedure for International Commercial Courts (Trial) issued by the Supreme People's Court in November 2018, the preservation of international commercial arbitration cases accepted by these arbitration institutions with the amount of subject of more than 300 million yuan, as well as the cancellation and enforcement of arbitration awards thereof, shall be accepted by the international commercial courts.

Currently, the First International Commercial Court of the Supreme People's Court is established in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, and the Second International Commercial Court is established in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province.

At the macro level, starting from June 2016, the Supreme People's Court has successively issued the Opinions on Further Deepening the Reform of Diversified Dispute Settlement Mechanism in People's Courts, Opinions on People's Courts Providing Judicial Services and Guarantees for the Construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative" and Opinions on Providing Judicial Guarantees for the Construction of Free Trade Pilot Zone, requiring courts at all levels to strengthen their connection with arbitration institutions, actively support the reform of arbitration system, promote the role of international commercial and maritime arbitration in the construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative," and support the innovation of arbitration system in free trade pilot zones. For example, the Opinions on Providing Judicial Guarantees for the Construction of Free Trade Pilot Zones stipulates that when wholly foreign-owned enterprises registered in the pilot free trade zone mutually agree to submit commercial disputes for overseas arbitration, the relevant arbitration agreement shall not be deemed invalid on the sole ground that the disputes do not contain foreign-related factors, which is a major breakthrough to the previous principle that "disputes without foreign-related factors cannot be submitted to overseas arbitration."

The Central Government of China has adopted an increasingly liberal and supportive attitude towards arbitration. In April 2019, the Central Government of China issued the Several Opinions on Improving the Arbitration System and Enhancing the Credibility of Arbitration, which holds that arbitration is not only a dispute settlement system prescribed by Chinese laws, but also a dispute settlement method internationally accepted. In July 2019, the Central Government of China issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Public Legal Service System, proposing to integrate superior resources in arbitration, create internationally renowned arbitration institutions, and promote and support arbitration institutions to participate in the settlement of international commercial disputes.

In July 2019, the Central Government of China issued the Overall Plan for Lin-gang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, allowing overseas well-known arbitration and dispute settlement institutions to set up business organizations in Lin-gang Special Area to conduct arbitration business on civil and commercial disputes arising from international commerce, maritime affairs, investment and other fields after registering with the judicial administrative departments of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and reporting to the judicial administrative departments of the State Council for the record.

Since 2015, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center, International Chamber of Commerce, Singapore International Arbitration Center and Korean Commercial Arbitration Court have all set up representative offices in Shanghai. We will see whether they will set up their respective business institutions in the Lin-gang Special Area. And we will also see whether the Supreme People's Court will set up a third international commercial court in the Lin-gang Special Area, or High Court of Shanghai may establish Shanghai International Commercial Court in Lin-gang.

I firmly believe that in a friendly judicial environment and with the strong support from the government, arbitration in China will undoubtedly have a bright prospect.