In June 2020, the Beijing No. 4 Intermediate People's Court ("Court") granted a landmark civil ruling which dismissed the application to set aside an arbitral award issued by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC). The Court held that in the situation of an undisclosed agency, the arbitration agreement in a contract that is signed by the agent shall bind the undisclosed principal to the contract. It is one of the few cases where a Chinese court has extended the effect of the arbitration agreement to a party who does not sign the underlying contract. It shows that the doctrine of privity of contract can be "overridden" in special circumstances, e.g. undisclosed agency.
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