The International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) opened its 17th conference in Beijing Sunday.

The ICCA, founded in 1969, holds its conference once in four years and this is the first time for the conference to be held in China. More than 400 delegates from the legal circle attended the opening ceremony.

The theme of the conference is "new horizon in international commercial arbitration and beyond."

Cheng Siwei, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, addressed the opening ceremony, saying commercial arbitration has been widely adopted inthe international commercial sector.

The development of China's trade and economy has brought opportunities to commercial arbitration, said Cheng.

Xiao Yang, president of China's Supreme People's Court and chief grand justice, said the Supreme People's Court supports arbitral activities and it has made some 30 related interpretativedocuments, which has provided judicial supports for the enforcement of the arbitration.

Gerold Hermann, chairman of the ICCA, said he believed the conference will gain positive fruits and push the theories and practices of international arbitration forward.

The three-day conference is hosted by China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, one of the most famous arbitration organizations in the world.

Source: Xinhua