PRC Civil Procedure Law

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by Ariel Ye  King & Wood Mallesons‘ Dispute Resolution Group

Introduction

On 31 August 2012 a revision of the PRC Civil Procedure Law (the “CPL”) was adopted and is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2013. This is the third revision of the CPL to be adopted and affects 85 articles, which cover a wide range of matters including case filing, evidence and enforcement procedure. Several new procedures have also been added which cover public interest litigation, small claims litigation, mediation agreements and other topics.

Background and Policy Objectives

The National People’s Congress Committee on Law commenced revision of the CPL in 2010.
Continue Reading Insight into China’s Revision on Civil Procedure Law

By Richard W. Wigley King & Wood Mallesons’ IP Litigation Group

Under the Civil Procedure Law of the P.R.C. (“CPL”), Articles 53-56 of the current CPL define requirements for filing a “joint litigation”, including those suits where said joint litigation may involve “one party with numerous litigants”.[1] To this latter scenario, Article 55 of the CPL notes that where “one of the parties has numerous litigants, but the exact number of litigants is uncertain when the lawsuit is filed, the People’s Court may issue a public notice to explain the nature of the case and the claims of the litigation and inform those persons who are entitled to the claim to register their rights with the People’s Court within a fixed time period.”[2] Article 55 goes on to provide that the litigants may elect “representatives” and further defines the binding nature of the Court’s ruling on not only the “representative”, but upon all litigants.[3]
Continue Reading China’s Civil Procedure Law Reported to be Amended to Broaden Definition of Types of Litigants Allowed to File Class-action Lawsuits

作者：张守志 徐晓丹 李响  金杜律师事务所争议解决组

在缔约一方为外国公司的合同中，尤其是国际融资合同中，争端解决条款经常约定相关争议应由外国法院管辖。这种约定往往是基于此类合同的惯例，并在作为优势一方的外国金融机构的坚持下订立的。但是，在商事活动越来越国际化的今天，固守这种惯例的交易外方，可能面临进退两难的困境。

一、   外国法院的判决可能无法在中国得到承认和执行

在合同约定外国法院管辖的情况下，如果中国公司只在中国（不包括港澳台地区）境内有可执行的财产，那么，一旦将来双方产生争议并由外国法院做出判决，则外方在该判决项下的权利只有在该判决被中国法院承认及执行后才能行使。然而，在中国申请承认和执行外国法院判决的难度非常大，需要满足相关法律和条约设定的种种条件。只要有一项条件不具备，相关外国法院的判决就无法得到中国法院的承认和执行，使得原本有利于外方的胜诉判决成为一纸空文。Continue Reading 约定域外法院管辖的困境及出路

By Zhang Shouzhi, Xu Xiaodan and Li Xiang  King & Wood Mallesons’ Dispute Resolution Group

Commercial contracts (especially international financing agreements) between Chinese parties and foreign parties often designate a foreign court outside of China as the forum in which to resolve potential disputes. Such a forum selection clause, often insisted upon by the financial institution due to its stronger bargaining position, has become a generally accepted practice in international financing transactions.

However, when entering into an international commercial contract with a Chinese party, selecting a foreign jurisdiction to resolve disputes may place the foreign party at a disadvantage with respect to future commercial activities.Continue Reading Forum Shopping in Dispute Resolution: Hurdles and Solutions