Luoyang establishes full-chain system for foreign-related arbitration services

In recent years, an increasing number of enterprises in Luoyang city in Central China's Henan province have expanded abroad. They are engaging in major overseas projects such as infrastructure construction and energy development — and with this, the demand for effective dispute resolution has grown exponentially.

To meet the needs of Luoyang's foreign trade industrial base and  cross-border commerce, the city's justice bureau has adopted a comprehensive strategy centered on "international outreach, professional services, digital empowerment, and institutional safeguards".

Under this framework, the bureau has guided the Luoyang Arbitration Commission to establish the Luoyang International Commercial Arbitration Court, building a full-chain foreign-related arbitration service system to provide stable and predictable legal protection for the  cross-border operations of enterprises.

For its part, the Justice Bureau of Luoyang has established the province's first municipal-level foreign-related legal services cluster in the Luoyang Area of the Henan Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ).

The cluster features 14 specialized service windows and creates a closed-loop service cycle that includes "enterprise requests, assignments by legal service centers, acceptances by legal service institutions and government oversight". It ensures full-chain coordination across all stages of dispute resolution — including prevention, mediation, arbitration, and judicial confirmation.

A key component is the overseas liaison office that was set up by the Luoyang Arbitration Commission. Through a three-part mechanism — comprising a service window, pre-dispute resolution procedures and a resource-matching platform — the office offers multidimensional support. It collaborates with local Chinese businesses and overseas Chinese chambers of commerce to identify legal needs and dispute clues, while providing arbitration consulting services.

Additionally, the office works with domestic law firms to conduct pre-arbitration procedures — such as cross-border mediation and evidence preservation — effectively reducing the costs of resolving disputes. 

Its establishment of partnerships with legal service providers and arbitration institutions in targeted regions further ensures the efficient delivery of arbitration services.

To date, foreign-related arbitration awards issued in Luoyang have been recognized and enforced in more than 170 countries and regions. These cases involve key local industries, including equipment manufacturing, engineering, motorcycle production and cross-border e-commerce.

The satisfaction rate among participating parties has reached 98 percent, effectively addressing the dispute resolution needs of the foreign trade sector while mitigating legal risks for businesses operating internationally.

The Justice Bureau of Luoyang has also proactively coordinated with the city's commerce bureau and the Administrative Committee of the Luoyang Area of the Henan Pilot FTZ to incorporate the development of the arbitration commission's overseas liaison office in the city's plan for advancing foreign-related legal services.

Using its existing one-stop platform within the foreign-related legal services cluster, the Luoyang Arbitration Commission has established a domestic coordination mechanism to integrate the liaison office's operations with local arbitration, notarization, mediation and other legal services.

To improve its risk control mechanism, the commission has formulated operational rules for the overseas liaison office and clarified the division of rights and responsibilities with cooperating law firms, in order to prevent service overlaps or accountability gaps.

It has also established a cooperation mechanism for foreign law ascertainment, based on various resources from the city's center for foreign-related commercial and legal services. In collaboration with overseas law firms, the commission has built a regional legal database to support arbitration case handling.

Furthermore, the commission has strengthened communications with Chinese embassies, consulates and chambers of commerce in relevant regions to mitigate operational risks abroad.

In deepening its external cooperation, the Luoyang Arbitration Commission has maintained close ties with the Intellectual Property Tribunal of the Luoyang Intermediate People's Court.

What's more, it has improved the dispute resolution mechanism that integrates arbitration, litigation and mediation. By visiting foreign-related enterprises to promote the advantages of commercial arbitration, including efficiency, expert adjudication, finality and reputation protection, the commission has expanded the reach and coverage of its services.

The practice of the Luoyang Arbitration Commission demonstrates that the core value of arbitration institutions lies not only in winning individual cases, but also in providing full-chain legal services — from rule design, process optimization to enforcement assurance.

By offering customized arbitration services, building an internationalized team and implementing preemptive risk control measures, the commission provides strong support for local enterprises in the course of their global expansion.