China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC), established within the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (China Chamber of International Commerce) on22 January 1959 in accordance with the Decision made by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China on 21 November 1958, is a permanent international arbitration institution which is featured by resolving admiralty, maritime, transport, logistics-related disputes and other commercial disputes agreed by parties. 

CMAC has its two headquarters respectively in Beijing/Shanghai and sub-commissions in Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Zhoushan, Haikou, Dalian and Qingdao, Arbitration Center in Hong Kong SAR and liaison offices in major Chinese coastal cities such as, Ningbo, Guangzhou and Nanning. To provide professional ADR services for specific business sectors, CMAC established the Aviation Dispute Arbitration Center, the Measurement Dispute Arbitration Center, the Construction Dispute Arbitration Center, the Maritime Mediation Center, the Aviation Dispute Mediation Center, the Salvage Disputes Mediation Center, the Logistics Dispute Resolution Center，and the Fishery Dispute Resolution Center, etc. 

CMAC maintains a uniform standard of arbitration service within its network and the Arbitration Rules and the Panel of Arbitrators are uniformly applied to CMAC  headquarters and its sub-commissions. The parties can choose any headquarter or sub-commission nearby to submit their application for arbitration.The CMAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center is established in accordance with the legislation of Hong Kong SAR. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, for an arbitration administered by CMAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center, the law applicable to the arbitral proceedings shall be the arbitration law of Hong Kong and the arbitral award shall be a Hong Kong award.

Decades of arbitration practice has fostered and brought up a rank of arbitrators with occupational ethics, consummate level of professional skills, and abundant practical experience, and also a team of case managers with diligence, profession and efficiency. CMAC has been revising its arbitration rules to meet the continuously diversified needs of arbitration practices and keeping track of the latest development of the international arbitration industry.Thousands of maritime cases have been administered by CMAC since 1959. In CMAC  arbitration proceedings, the tribunal always insists on taking facts as the basis and the law as the criterion, referring to the established international practice, respecting the freedom of contract and sticking to the principle of impartiality and justice. The cases administered by CMAC mostly request the arbitrators’ professional expertise; the foreign-related cases have accounted for more than 60% of the total. The CMAC awards, generally considered as impartial and authoritative, have won CMAC great reputation at home and abroad.

With its deep roots in mainland China and a firm footing in Hong Kong, CMAC meets the demands of the business community and conduct arbitration practices in different jurisdictions. To keep itself relevant to the changing arbitration landscape, CMAC offers unique commercial mediation service which has expanded its scope from maritime disputes to cases of other nature. CMAC has also launched its online arbitration service which gains momentum with financial disputes as its major focus. Looking into the future, CMAC will continue to lay out ADR service tailored to the needs of both Chinese and foreign users and work for the prosperity of international shipping trade and investment.