On the afternoon of February 28, 2020, the opening session of the "Investment Arbitration Case Study Compilation" project on the major topic of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade(CCPIT), undertaken by Wuhan University Institute of International Law, was successfully held online.

Liu Chao and Zheng Wei, Vice Minister of Legal Affairs Department of CCPIT, Yang Min, Director of General Affair Office of the Department, Deputy Director Shi Xiaochu, Staff Wang Yifei, Prof. Xiao Yongping, Director of International Law Institute of Wuhan University, Prof. Qi Tong, Associate Professor Xiao Jun, Post-doc Xu Jia and Li Wei attended the session.

The project was moderated by Yang Min, Director of the General Affair Office of Legal Affairs of the China Council for The Promotion of Trade.

Zheng Wei first gave full recognition to this session for implementing President Xi Jinping 's instructions on coordinating epidemic control with economic and social development, and pointed out that the project is not only an important part of the preparation work of the "Belt and Road" commercial dispute prevention and resolution agency, but also to help Chinese enterprises deal with and resolve relevant practical issues.

Sun Zhao, second-level researcher in the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Commerce, fully affirmed the great theoretical and practical value of the project in his speech, and pointed out that research needs to reveal not only past practices, but also the rationale and legal consequences behind the rules.

Prof. Xiao Yongping, the director of Wuhan University Institute of International Law thanked the experts at the meeting for its support, and put forward three suggestions for the project: First, we need to accurately refine the focus of legal disputes in each case; Second, we should make a systematic summary ; Third, the case study should take into account needs of enterprises, government and future development.

Prof. Qi Tong, the project's general manager, reported on the progress from project background, project content, work programme and project results. Subsequently, Sun Zhao, second-level researcher of the Department of Law of the Ministry of Commerce, Li Hu, Secretary of the Party Committee of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, Chen Fuyong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Arbitration Commission, Beijing International Arbitration Center, Professor Yang Guohua of Tsinghua University Law School, Professor Kong Qingjiang, Dean of the School of International Law, China University of Political Science and Law, Zhang Qinglin, Dean of Shanghai University of International Economicand and Trade Law, and Vice President of Zhejiang University law school, Wang Xuehua, the chief partner of The Ring Zhong Law Firm, and Sun Huawei, a partner of Zhonglun Law Firm, and other experts and scholars have published their own insights about the development of this project, and put forward many valuable professional suggestions to lay the foundation for the successful follow-up of the project.

At the end of the session, Minister Liu summarized it and pointed out that the committee's clients are diverse, both domestic and foreign, and involve both theory and practice. At present, China's foreign-related legal talents in dilemma, that is, China's demand for foreign-related legal personnel and the development "mismatch", "unfit" and "uncoordinated". Therefore, we should carry out in-depth research in a more open and pluralistic way. On the results of the project, Minister Liu pointed out that the project needs to further expand the impact with diversified presentation, continuous state and international perspective.

This opening session closed with warm with applause from all participants.

Edited by Yuan Yuhang & Wu Liuqing