The outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic has raised extensive attention among the international community. In response to the concerns of international arbitration institutions and organizations, and for enhancing exchanges and cooperation with arbitration institutions along the Belt and Road, as well as to prepare for arbitration activities overseas when the epidemic is over, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) of CCPIT recently wrote letters to nearly 30 international arbitration institutions and organizations, including members of the Beijing Declaration of the Belt and Road Arbitration Institutions (hereinafter referred to as the Beijing Declaration). In the letter CIETAC expressed the Chinese government's confidence and resolution to combat the epidemic through united effort of the whole country, and discussed the establishment of the mechanism intending to strengthen exchanges and cooperation among arbitration institutions along the Belt and Road, which aims to implement the cooperation consensus reached in the Beijing Declaration last November in Beijing.

CIETAC also wrote letters to nearly one hundred people in charge of international arbitration institutions and opinion leaders of the field, such as heads of the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes and the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, explaining China's resolution and deployment to combat the epidemic and the prevention and control measures that had been taken, introducing CIETAC’s research carried out on the legal risks during the epidemic prevention and control period, and advocating taking this opportunity to make mutual effort to conduct research on the adverse impacts of major public safety incidents on international economic and trade activities and related legal issues caused by such incidents.

It is understood that CIETAC has taken the initiative to share information with and clear doubts from the international arbitration community, which enhances the transparency of the prevention and control work, promotes understanding and communications among the international arbitration community and builds up the international community's confidence in China’s arbitration.