Several amendments to the People’s Republic of China’s Arbitration Law (first adopted 32 years ago) came into effect on 1 March 2026. Not all follow the same direction. Some changes, such as the introduction of the concept of seat of arbitration and arbitrators’ duty of disclosure, succeed in aligning the PRC’s arbitration framework with international practice. Others are notable for the opposite reason, as is the choice to grant each party to arbitral proceedings the right to have the validity of an arbitration agreement ascertained by a domestic court instead of arbitrators. This Arbitration Insight examines these and more developments, highlighting both their potential and their limitations.

Our International Arbitration​ Focus Team breaks down these new measures in the newsletter linked here.