To achieve a deeper understanding of the dispute resolution needs of Chinese enterprises in the process of "going global", and to effectively improve the relevance and effectiveness of arbitration services, on the morning of 12 October 2024, Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission ("CIETAC"), led a delegation to successfully hold a seminar for Chinese enterprises in Santiago, the capital of Chile. With the strong support from the Chilean Chinese Enterprises Association, the seminar was attended by representatives from Chinese companies such as China Communications Construction Group, China International Water & Electric Corporation, China Harbour Engineering Company Limited, China Road and Bridge Corporation, and China National Building Material Group etc., along with personnel from the Representative Office of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in Chile. The participants engaged in face-to-face discussions on the theme of "Legal Risk Prevention and Dispute Resolution Practices for Enterprises Operating Overseas".

During the seminar, Secretary-General Wang Chengjie introduced the development status of CIETAC, the establishment of its overseas branches, and the work and progress made in supporting the Belt and Road Initiative, in conjunction with the characteristics and advantages of the arbitration system. The participating enterprise representatives shared updates on their engineering projects in Chile, the legal risks they encountered, and their demands for dispute resolution. In the subsequent discussion, the representatives raised questions about identifying and managing legal risks, designing dispute resolution clauses, and how to gain a home-field advantage in dispute resolution. Members of the CIETAC delegation provided detailed answers based on practical arbitration work and specific cases, offering opinions and suggestions on how Chinese enterprises could effectively prevent legal risks and rationally choose dispute resolution methods to better protect their legal rights and interests.

Representatives from the participating enterprises expressed that the stable and continuous development of Chinese enterprises overseas relied on legal protection. Implementing the Belt and Road Initiative required not only investment and trade overseas but also timely legal services. It was suggested to make full use of this exchange opportunity to provide more support for Chinese enterprises in Chile regarding dispute resolution and legal risk prevention through the CIETAC platform.

After the seminar, the CIETAC delegation conducted a focused investigation of a typical "going global" enterprise—the Chile Holding Company of State Grid Corporation of China (referred to as "State Grid Chile"). Zhao Yumeng, General Manager of State Grid Chile and Chairman of CHILQUINTA GROUP, and key management personnel received the delegation. During the investigation, Chairman Zhao provided a detailed introduction to the development status, business structure and management characteristics of State Grid Chile, and raised relevant questions regarding legal risk prevention in overseas operations in light of the company's business development. Secretary-General Wang Chengjie highly appreciated the effective management experience of State Grid Chile and offered corresponding ideas and suggestions based on CIETAC's dispute resolution practices. The delegation also introduced specific cases and highlighted points for overseas enterprises to pay attention in contracts conclusion and performance as well as legal cultural conflicts.

On the same day, the CIETAC delegation also visited the Representative Office of CCPIT in Chile and the Chief Representative Zhou Kai warmly received them. 

Lu Fei, Director of the Business Development Division of CIETAC, and Brad Wang, Vice Secretary-General of CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center, accompanied the visit.