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Order of the President of the People's Republic of China
(No. 22)
The Law of the People's Republic of China on Economic Contracts Involving Foreign Interest, as adopted at the 10th Session of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on March 21, 1985, is hereby issued, and shall come into force on July 1, 1985.
President of the People's Republic of China: Li Xiannian
March 21, 1985
Law of the People's Republic of China on Economic Contracts Involving Foreign Interest
(Adopted at the Tenth Session of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress and promulgated by Order No. 22 of the President of the People's Republic of China on March 21, 1985, and effective as of July 1, 1985)
| | 中华人民共和国主席令
（第二十二号）
《中华人民共和国涉外经济合同法》已由中华人民共和国第六届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第十次会议于一九八五年三月二十一日通过，现予公布，自一九八五年七月一日起施行。
中华人民共和国主席 李先念
一九八五年三月二十一日
中华人民共和国涉外经济合同法
（一九八五年三月二十一日第六届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第十次会议通过一九八五年三月二十一日中华人民共和国主席令第二十二号公布）
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CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS
| | 第一章 总 则
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Article 1. This Law is formulated with a view to protecting the lawful rights and interests of the parties to Chinese-foreign economic contracts and promoting the development of China's foreign economic relations.
| | 第一条 为了保障涉外经济合同当事人的合法权益，促进我国对外经济关系的发展，特制定本法。
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Article 2. This Law shall apply to economic contracts concluded between enterprises or other economic organizations of the People's Republic of China and foreign enterprises, other economic organizations or individuals. (hereinafter referred to as " contracts" ). However, this provision shall not apply to international transport contracts.
| | 第二条 本法的适用范围是中华人民共和国的企业或者其他经济组织同外国的企业和其他经济组织或者个人之间订立的经济合同（以下简称合同）。但是，国际运输合同除外。
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Article 3. Contracts shall be concluded according to the principle of equality and mutual benefit and the principle of achieving agreement through consultation.
| | 第三条 订立合同，应当依据平等互利、协商一致的原则。
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Article 4. In concluding a Contract,the parties must abide by the law of the People's Republic of China and shall not harm the public interest of the People's Republic of China.
| | 第四条 订立合同，必须遵守中华人民共和国法律，并不得损害中华人民共和国的社会公共利益。
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Article 5. The parties to a contract may choose the proper law applicable to the settlement of contract disputes. In the absence of such a choice by the parties, the law of the country which has the closest connection with the contract shall apply.
The law of the People's Republic of China shall apply to contracts that are to be performed within the territory of the People's Republic of China, namely contracts for Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, Chinese-foreign contractual joint ventures and Chinese-foreign cooperative exploration and development of natural resources.
For matters that are not covered in the law of the People's Republic of China, international practice shall be followed.
| | 第五条 合同当事人可以选择处理合同争议所适用的法律。当事人没有选择的，适用与合同有最密切联系的国家的法律。
在中华人民共和国境内履行的中外合资经营企业合同、中外合作经营企业合同、中外合作勘探开发自然资源合同，适用中华人民共和国法律。
中华人民共和国法律未作规定的，可以适用国际惯例。
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Article 6. Where an international treaty which is relevant to a contract, and to which the People's Republic of China is a contracting party or a signatory, has provided differently from the law of the People's Republic of China, the provisions of the international treaty shall prevail, with the exception of those clauses on which the People's Republic of China has declared reservation.
| | 第六条 中华人民共和国缔结或者参加的与合同有关的国际条约同中华人民共和国法律有不同规定的，适用该国际条约的规定。但是，中华人民共和国声明保留的条款除外。
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CHAPTER II THE CONCLUSION OF CONTRACTS
| | 第二章 合同的订立
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Article 7. A contract shall be formed as soon as the parties to it have reached a written agreement on the terms and have signed the contract. If an agreement is reached by means of letters, telegrams or telex and one party requests a signed letter of confirmation, the contract shall be formed only after the letter of confirmation is signed.
Contracts which are subject to the approval of the state, as provided for by the laws or administrative regulations of the People's Republic of China, shall be formed only after until such approval is granted.
| | 第七条 当事人就合同条款以书面形式达成协议并签字，即为合同成立。通过信件、电报、电传达成协议，一方当事人要求签订确认书的，签订确认书时，方为合同成立。
中华人民共和国法律、行政法规规定应当由国家批准的合同，获得批准时，方为合同成立。
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Article 8. Appendices specified in a contract shall be integral parts of the contract.
| | 第八条 合同订明的附件是合同的组成部分。
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Article 9. Contracts that violate the law or the public interest of the People's Republic of China shall be void.
In case any terms in a contract violate the law or the public interest of the People's Republic of China, the validity of the contract shall not be affected if such terms are cancelled or modified by the parties through consultations.
| | 第九条 违反中华人民共和国法律或者社会公共利益的合同无效。
合同中的条款违反中华人民共和国法律或者社会公共利益的，经当事人协商同意予以取消或者改正后，不影响合同的效力。
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Article 10. Contracts that are concluded by means of fraud or duress shall be void.
| | 第十条 采取欺诈或者胁迫手段订立的合同无效。
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Article 11. A party which is responsible for the invalidity of a contract shall be liable for the losses suffered by the other party as a result of the contract becoming invalid.
| | 第十一条 当事人一方对合同无效负有责任的，应当对另一方因合同无效而遭受的损失负赔偿责任。
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Article 12. A contract shall, in general, contain the following terms:
| | 第十二条 合同一般应当具备以下条款：
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(1) the corporate or personal names of the contracting parties and their nationalities and principal places of business or domicile;
| | 一、 合同当事人的名称或者姓名、国籍、主营业所或者住所；
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(2) the date and place of the signing of the contract;
| | 二、 合同签订的日期、地点；
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(3) the type of contract and the kind and scope of the object of the contract;
| | 三、 合同的类型和合同标准的种类、范围；
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(4) the technical conditions, quality, standard, specifications and quantity of the object of the contract;
| | 四、 合同标准的技术条件、质量、标准、规格、数量；
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(5) the time limit, place and method of performance;
| | 五、 履行的期限、地点和方式；
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(6) the terms of price, amount and method of payment, and various incidental charges;
| | 六、 价格条件、支付金额、支付方式和各种附带的费用；
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(7) whether the contract is assignable or, if it is, the conditions for its assignment;
| | 七、 合同能否转让或者合同转让的条件；
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(8) liability to pay compensation and other liabilities for breach of the contract;
| | 八、 违反合同的赔偿和其他责任；
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(9) the ways for settling contract disputes; and
| | 九、 合同发生争议时的解决方法；
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(10) the language(s) in which the contract is written and its validity.
| | 十、 合同使用的文字及其效力。
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Article 13. So far as it may require, a contract shall provide for the limits of the risks to be borne by the parties in performing the object; if necessary, it shall provide for the coverage of insurance for the object.
| | 第十三条 合同应当视需要约定当事人对履行标的承担风险的界限；必要时应当约定对标的保险范围。
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Article 14. Where a contract needs to be performed continuously over a long period, the parties shall set a period of validity for the contract and may also stipulate conditions for its extension and its termination before its expiry.
| | 第十四条 对于需要较长期间连续履行的合同，当事人应当约定合同的有效期限，并可以约定延长合同期限和提前终止合同的条件。
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Article 15. In the contract the parties may agree to provide a guaranty. The guarantor shall be held liable within the agreed scope of guaranty.
| | 第十五条 当事人可以在合同中约定担保。担保人在约定的担保范围内承担责任。
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CHAPTER III THE PERFORMANCE OF CONTRACTS AND LIABILITY FOR BREACH OF A CONTRACT
| | 第三章 合同的履行和违反合同的责任
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Article 16. A contract shall be legally binding as soon as it is established in accordance with the law. The parties shall perform their obligations stipulated in the contract. No party shall unilaterally modify or rescind the contract.
| | 第十六条 合同依法成立，即具有法律约束力。当事人应当履行合同约定的义务，任何一方不得擅自变更或者解除合同。
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Article 17. A party may temporarily suspend its performance of the contract if it has conclusive evidence that the other party is unable to perform the contract. However, it shall immediately inform the other party of such suspension. It shall perform the contract if and when the other party provides a sure guarantee for performance of the contract. If a party suspends performance of the contract without conclusive evidence of the other party's inability to perform the contract, it shall be liable for breach of contract.
| | 第十七条 当事人一方有另一方不能履行合同的确切证据时，可以暂时中止履行合同，但是应当立即通知另一方；当另一方对履行合同提供了充分的保证时，应当履行合同。当事人一方没有另一方不能履行合同的确切证据， 中止履行合同的，应当负违反合同的责任。
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Article 18. If a party fails to perform the contract or its performance of the contractual obligations does not conform to the agreed terms, which constitutes a breach of contract, the other party is entitled to claim damages or demand other reasonable remedial measures. If the losses suffered by the other party cannot be completely made up after the adoption of such remedial measures, the other party shall still have the right to claim damages.
| | 第十八条 当事人一方不履行合同或者履行合同义务不符合约定条件，即违反合同的，另一方有权要求赔偿损失或者采取其他合理的补救措施。采取其他补救措施后，尚不能完全弥补另一方受到的损失的，另一方仍然有权要求赔偿损失。
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Article 19. The liability of a party to pay compensation for the breach of a contract shall be equal to the loss suffered by the other party as a consequence of the breach. However, such compensation may not exceed the loss which the party responsible for the breach ought to have foreseen at the time of the conclusion of the contract as a possible consequence of a breach of contract.
| | 第十九条 当事人一方违反合同的赔偿责任，应当相当于另一方因此所受到的损失，但是不得超过违反合同一方订立合同时应当预见到的因违反合同可能造成的损失。
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Article 20. The parties may agree in a contract that, if one party breaches the contract, it shall pay a certain amount of breach of contract damages to the other party; they may also agree upon a method for calculating the damages resulting from such a breach.
The breach of contract damages as stipulated in the contract shall be regarded as compensation for the losses resulting from breach of contract. However, if the contractually agreed breach of contract damages are far more or far less than is necessary to compensate for the losses resulting from the breach, the party concerned may request an arbitration body or a court to reduce or increase them appropriately
| | 第二十条 当事人可以在合同中约定， 一方违反合同时， 向另一方支付一定数额的违约金；也可以约定对于违反合同而产生的损失赔偿额的计算方法。
合同中约定的违约金，视为违反合同的损失赔偿。但是，约定的违约金过分高于或者低于违反合同所造成的损失的， 当事人可以请求仲裁机构或者法院予以适当减少或者增加。
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Article 21. If both parties breach the contract, each shall be commensurately liable for the breach of contract that is its responsibility.
| | 第二十一条 当事人双方都违反合同的，应当各自承担相应的责任。
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Article 22. A party which suffers losses resulting from a breach of contract by the other party shall promptly take appropriate measures to prevent the losses from becoming severer. If the losses are aggravated as a result of its failure to adopt appropriate measures, it shall not be entitled to claim compensation for the aggravated part of the losses.
| | 第二十二条 当事人一方因另一方违反合同而受到损失的，应当及时采取适当措施防止损失的扩大；没有及时采取适当措施致使损失扩大的，无权就扩大的损失要求赔偿。
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Article 23. If a party fails to pay on time any amount stipulated as payable in the contract or any other amount related to the contract that is payable, the other party is entitled to interest on the amount in arrears. The method for calculating the interest may be specified in the contract.
| | 第二十三条 当事人一方未按期支付合同规定的应付金额或者与合同有关的其他应付金额的，另一方有权收取迟延支付金额的利息。计算利息的方法，可以在合同中约定。
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Article 24. If a party is prevented from performing all or a part of its obligations due to force majeure, it shall be relieved of all or a part of his obligations.
If a party cannot perform its obligations within the contractually agreed time limit due to an event of force majeure, it shall be relieved of the liability for delayed performance during the period when the aftereffect of the event lasts.
An event of force majeure means an event that the parties could not have foreseen at the time of conclusion of the contract, both parties being unable to either avoid or overcome its occurrence and consequences.
The scope of force majeure events may be specified in the contract.
| | 第二十四条 当事人因不可抗力事件不能履行合同的全部或者部分义务的，免除其全部或者部分责任。
当事人一方因不可抗力事件不能按合同约定的期限履行的，在事件的后果影响持续的期间内，免除其迟延履行的责任。
不可抗力事件是指当事人在订立合同时不能预见、对其发生和后果不能避免并不能克服的事件。
不可抗力事件的范围，可以在合同中约定。
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Article 25. The party which fails to perform wholly or in part its contractual obligations due to an event of force majeure shall promptly inform the other party so as to mitigate the losses which might possibly be inflicted on the other party, and shall also provide a certificate issued by the relevant agency within a reasonable period of time.
| | 第二十五条 当事人一方因不可抗力事件不能履行合同的全部或者部分义务的，应当及时通知另一方，以减轻可能给另一方造成的损失，并应在合理期间内提供有关机构出具的证明。
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CHAPTER IV THE ASSIGNMENT OF CONTRACTS
| | 第四章 合同的转让
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Article 26. When a party assigns, wholly or in part, its contractual rights and obligations to a third party, it must obtain the consent of the other party.
| | 第二十六条 当事人一方将合同权利和义务的全部或者部分转让给第三者的，应当取得另一方的同意。
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Article 27. In the case of a contract which, according to the laws or administrative regulations of the People's Republic of China, is to be formed with the approval of the state, the assignment of the contractual rights and obligations shall be subject to the approval of the authority which approved the contract, unless otherwise stipulated in the approved contract.
| | 第二十七条 中华人民共和国法律、行政法规规定应当由国家批准成立的合同，其权利和义务的转让，应当经原批准机关批准。但是，已批准的合同中另有约定的除外。
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CHAPTER V THE MODIFICATION, RESCISSION AND TERMINATION OF CONTRACTS
| | 第五章 合同的变更、解除和终止
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Article 28. A contract may be modified if both parties agree through consultation.
| | 第二十八条 经当事人协商同意后，合同可以变更。
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Article 29. A party shall have the right to notify the other party that a contract is rescinded in any of the following situations:
| | 第二十九条 有下列情形之一的，当事人一方有权通知另一方解除合同：
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(1) if the other party has breached the contract, thus adversely affecting the economic benefits they expected to receive at the time of the conclusion of the contract;
| | 一、 另一方违反合同，以致严重影响订立合同所期望的经济利益；
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(2) if the other party fails to perform the contract within the time limit agreed upon in the contract, and again fails to perform it within the reasonable period of time allowed for delayed performance;
| | 二、 另一方在合同约定的期限内没有履行合同，在被允许推迟履行的合理期限内仍未履行；
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(3) if all the obligations under the contract cannot be performed due to an event of force majeure; or
| | 三、 发生不可抗力事件，致使合同的全部义务不能履行；
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(4) if the contractually agreed conditions for the rescission of the contract are present.
| | 四、 合同约定的解除合同的条件已经出现。
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Article 30. For a contract consisting of several parts that are independent from each other, some of them may be rescinded according to the provisions of the preceding article while the other parts will remain valid.
| | 第三十条 对于包含几个相互独立部分的合同，可以依据前条的规定，解除其中的一部分而保留其余部分的效力。
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Article 31. A contract shall be terminated in any one of the following situations:
| | 第三十一条 有下列情形之一的，合同即告终止：
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(1) if the contract has already been performed in accordance with the agreed terms;
| | 一、 合同已按约定条件得到履行；
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(2) if an arbitration body or a court has decided that the contract shall be terminated; or
| | 二、 仲裁机构裁决或者法院判决终止合同；
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(3) if the parties agree through consultation to terminate the contract.
| | 三、 双方协商同意终止合同。
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Article 32. Notices or agreements on the modification or rescission of contracts shall be made in writing.
| | 第三十二条 变更或者解除合同的通知或者协议，应当采用书面形式。
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Article 33. In the case of a contract which, according to the laws or administrative regulations of the People's Republic of China, is to be established with the approval of the state, any significant modification of the contract shall be subject to the approval of the authority which approved the contract, and the rescission of the contract shall be filed with the same authority for the record.
| | 第三十三条 中华人民共和国法律、行政法规规定应当由国家批准成立的合同，其重大变更应当经原批准机关批准，其解除应当报原批准机关备案。
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Article 34. The modification, rescission or termination of a contract shall not affect the rights of the parties to claim damages.
| | 第三十四条 合同的变更、解除或者终止，不影响当事人要求赔偿损失的权利。
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Article 35. The contractually agreed terms for the settlement of disputes shall not become invalid because of the rescission or termination of a contract.
| | 第三十五条 合同约定的解决争议的条款，不因合同的解除或者终止而失去效力。
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Article 36. The contractually agreed terms for the settlement of accounts and liquidation of a contract shall not become invalid because of the rescission or termination of the contract.
| | 第三十六条 合同约定的结算和清理条款，不因合同的解除或者终止而失去效力。
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CHAPTER VI THE SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES
| | 第六章 争议的解决
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Article 37. If disputes over a contract develop, the parties shall, as far as possible, settle them through consultation, or through mediation by a third party.
If the parties are unwilling to settle their dispute through consultation or mediation, or if consultation or mediation proves unsuccessful, they may, in accordance with the arbitration clause provided in the contract or a written arbitration agreement reached by the parties afterwards, submit the dispute to a Chinese arbitration body or any other arbitration body for arbitration.
| | 第三十七条 发生合同争议时，当事人应当尽可能通过协商或者通过第三者调解解决。
当事人不愿协商、调解的，或者协商、调解不成的，可以依据合同中的仲裁条款或者事后达成的书面仲裁协议，提交中国仲裁机构或者其他仲裁机构仲裁。
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Article 38. If no arbitration clause is provided in the contract, and a written arbitration agreement is not reached afterwards, the parties may bring a suit in a people's court.
| | 第三十八条 当事人没有在合同中订立仲裁条款，事后又没有达成书面仲裁协议的，可以向人民法院起诉。
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CHAPTER VII SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS
| | 第七章 附 则
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Article 39. The time limit for filing a suit or applying for arbitration in respect of a dispute over a contract for the purchase and sale of goods shall be four years, counting from the day when the party is aware or ought to be aware of its rights being infringed upon. The time limit for filing a suit or applying for arbitration in respect of a dispute over any other contract shall be stipulated separately by law.
| | 第三十九条 货物买卖合同争议提起诉讼或者仲裁的期限为四年，自当事人知道或者应当知道其权利受到侵犯之日起计算。 其他合同争议提起诉讼或者仲裁的期限由法律另行规定。
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Article 40. If new legal provisions are formulated while contracts for Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, Chinese-foreign contractual joint ventures, or Chinese-foreign cooperative exploration and development of natural resources, that have been concluded with the approval of the state, are being performed within the territory of the People's Republic of China, the performance may still be based on the terms of the contracts.
| | 第四十条 在中华人民共和国境内履行、经国家批准成立的中外合资经营企业合同、中外合作经营企业合同、中外合作勘探开发自然资源合同，在法律有新的规定时，可以仍然然按照合同的规定执行。
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Article 41. This Law may apply to contracts concluded before it goes into effect, if this is agreed by the parties through consultation.
| | 第四十一条 本法施行之日前成立的合同，经当事人协商同意，可以适用本法。
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Article 42. The State Council shall, in accordance with this Law, formulate rules for its implementation.
| | 第四十二条 国务院依据本法制定实施细则。
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Article 43. This Law shall go into effect on July 1, 1985.
This Law is substituted by the new Contract Law on March 15, 1999.
| | 第四十三条 本法自一九八五年七月一日起施行。
本法一九九九年三月１５日被新的合同法替代。
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