Founded in 1983, the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (also known as the South China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, GBA International Arbitration Center, formerly known as the CIETAC South China Commission and CIETAC Shenzhen Commission, hereinafter referred to as the "SCIA") is the first arbitration institution in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region. It epitomizes China's reform and opening-up, the development of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and the collaboration between Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR.

In 1984, the SCIA took the lead in including foreign arbitrators in the Panel of Arbitrators. In 1989, an arbitral award rendered by the SCIA became China's first arbitral award recognized and enforced in a foreign jurisdiction in accordance with the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (the New York Convention). In 2012, the SCIA pioneered to establish a statutory body governance mechanism and a corporate governance structure with an international council serving as the decision body. In 2016, the SCIA became the first arbitration institution in Chinese mainland to accept investment arbitration cases by updating its arbitration rules. In 2018, the SCIA incorporated Shenzhen Arbitration Commission, setting a precedent for merger of arbitration institutions in China. In 2021, under the national GBA strategy, the SCIA added "GBA International Arbitration Center" as one of its official names to deepen the cooperation with Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, so as to together develop into an international arbitration hub in the world. So far, its arbitration and mediation services have been extended to 146 countries and regions worldwide, and its panel of arbitrators covers 129 countries and regions. In 2024, the total amount in dispute of newly accepted commercial arbitration cases by the SCIA reached 142.27 billion yuan, with the highest amount in dispute for a single international commercial arbitration case exceeding 30 billion yuan. In 2022, the SCIA was recognized by the Global Arbitration Review (GAR) as one of the "Institutions Worth a Closer Look in Asia-Pacific" and the "Most Preferred Arbitration Institution in China." In 2025, in the 2025 International Arbitration Survey jointly released by Queen Mary University of London and White & Case LLP, Shenzhen was ranked among the world's top 5 most preferred arbitration seats, and the arbitration rules of the SCIA were listed among the top 10 most popular arbitration rules worldwide.