Das neue Internationale Privatrecht der Volksrepublik China: Nach den Steinen tastend den Fluss überqueren (The New Private International Law of the People's Republic of China: Cross the River by Feeling the Stones)

Rabel Journal of Comparative and International Private Law (RabelsZ), Vol. 76, No. 1, pp. 1-46 and 161-169, January 2012

DOI: 10.1628/003372512798955022

Max Planck Private Law Research Paper No. 11/14

56 Pages Posted: 23 Nov 2011 Last revised: 5 Mar 2013

See all articles by Knut Benjamin Pissler

Knut Benjamin Pissler

Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law

Date Written: November 22, 2011

Abstract

On October 28, 2010, the “Law of the Application of Law for Foreign-related Civil Relations” was promulgated in the People’s Republic of China. The law aims to consolidate the Chinese conflict of laws regime and signals a new step towards a comprehensive codification of civil law in China. The promulgated law emphasizes party autonomy and the closest connection as general principles. The law furthermore replaces nationality with habitual residence as the principal connecting factor for personal matters in Chinese private international law. However, some lacunas remain and new questions arise from the law. The legislative gaps concern the form of legal acts, the maintenance duties after divorce as well as the assignment and transfer of rights and duties in general. New questions arise from the provisions in the law establishing alternative connecting factors. Regarding the free choice of law with regard to rights in movable property provided by the law, it is additionally questionable how the rights of third parties are protected where they are not aware of such a choice of law. The decision of the legislator to exclude renvoi will force Chinese courts to apply foreign law even if the foreign private international private law refers back to Chinese law. Some of the particular provisions in the law are also a source for further problems: This concerns the application of the lex fori in divorce cases, the conflict of laws rule on trusts and arbitration clauses as well as on agency. Another point of uncertainty stems from older provisions of international private law that can still be found in several laws such as the Maritime Commercial Law, the Civil Aviation Law or the Contract Law. Those norms are still in force formally, but their relation to the new law is not sufficiently clarified.

This article is published in this Research Paper Series with the permission of the rights owner, Mohr Siebeck. Full-text Rabel Journal articles are available via pay-per-view or subscription at IngentaConnect, a provider of digital journals on the Internet.

Note: Downloadable document is in German.

Keywords: Private International Law, foreign-related civil relations, international contract law, international property law, international marriage law, international divorce law, international inheritance law, international intellectual propery law

Suggested Citation

Pissler, Knut Benjamin, Das neue Internationale Privatrecht der Volksrepublik China: Nach den Steinen tastend den Fluss überqueren (The New Private International Law of the People's Republic of China: Cross the River by Feeling the Stones) (November 22, 2011). Rabel Journal of Comparative and International Private Law (RabelsZ), Vol. 76, No. 1, pp. 1-46 and 161-169, January 2012, DOI: 10.1628/003372512798955022, Max Planck Private Law Research Paper No. 11/14, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1963130

Knut Benjamin Pissler (Contact Author)

Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law ( email )

Mittelweg 187
Hamburg, D-20148
Germany

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