On December 25, 2017, the Shenzhen Arbitration Commission (SAC) and the South China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (SCIETAC) merged to become the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA). SCIETAC was also known as the SCIA and will be lending its name and acronym to the newly formed SCIA. The merger was announced by the SCIETAC through its website on January 8, 2018.

As noted in its official announcement, the merger of the two Shenzhen-based arbitral institutions was done “In order to promote a world-class business environment and build an international arbitration hub.”