ARBITRATION WORLD The 2015 CIETAC Arbitration Rules: How Do the New Emergency Arbitration Procedures Compare? Andrea Utasy (ingapore) and Sacha Cheong (Hong Kong) The 2015 Rules of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) took effect on 1 January 2015. This is the eighth revision of the CIETAC arbitration rules since their first publication in 1956. CIETAC has introduced a number of welcome changes, which are comparable with the current rules of other major arbitration institutions in Asia and make CIETAC a viable option for parties who carry on busi- ness in China or who deal with Chinese counterparts. Some key features of the 2015 Rules include new provisions for dis- putes concerning multiple contracts (Article 14), new provisions for joinder of additional parties (Article 18), enhanced provisions for the consolidation of arbitrations (Article 19), and new special provisions for arbitrations administered by the CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center (Articles 73 to 80). In this article, we focus on the new emergency arbitrator procedures and highlight a potential issue that could arise if the arbitration is seated in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). EMERGENCY ARBITRATOR PROCEDURES Emergency arbitrator procedures have been around for several years. The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) was the first major institution to adopt the procedure in 2010, followed by the Inter- national Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in 2012 and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in 2013. 80 K&L Gates: ARBITRATION WORLD