Law of the People's Republic of China on Economic Contracts Involoving Foreign Interest-中华人民共和国涉外经济合同法-www.lawinfochina.com

Law of the People's Republic of China on Economic Contracts Involoving Foreign Interest

Promulgation date:	03-21-1985	Department:	Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Effective date:	07-01-1985	Subject:	Contract

Law of the People’s Republic of China on Economic Contracts Involoving 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)

CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS

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.

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.

Article 3. Contracts shall be concluded according to the principle of equality and mutual benefit and the principle of achieving agreement through consultation.

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.

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.

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.

CHAPTER II THE CONCLUSION OF CONTRACTS

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.

Article 8. Appendices specified in a contract shall be integral parts of the contract.

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.

Article 10. Contracts that are concluded by means of fraud or duress shall be void.

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.

Article 12. A contract shall, in general, contain the following terms:

(1) the corporate or personal names of the contracting parties and their nationalities and principal places of business or domicile;

(2) the date and place of the signing of the contract;

(3) the type of contract and the kind and scope of the object of the contract;

(4) the technical conditions, quality, standard, specifications and quantity of the object of the contract;

(5) the time limit, place and method of performance;

(6) the terms of price, amount and method of payment, and various incidental charges;

(7) whether the contract is assignable or, if it is, the conditions for its assignment;

(8) liability to pay compensation and other liabilities for breach of the contract;

(9) the ways for settling contract disputes; and

(10) the language(s) in which the contract is written and its validity.

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.

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.

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.

CHAPTER III THE PERFORMANCE OF CONTRACTS AND LIABILITY FOR BREACH OF A CONTRACT

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Article 21. If both parties breach the contract, each shall be commensurately liable for the breach of contract that is its responsibility.

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.

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.

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.

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.

CHAPTER IV THE ASSIGNMENT OF CONTRACTS

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.

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.

CHAPTER V THE MODIFICATION, RESCISSION AND TERMINATION OF CONTRACTS

Article 28. A contract may be modified if both parties agree through consultation.

Article 29. A party shall have the right to notify the other party that a contract is rescinded in any of the following situations:

(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;

(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;

(3) if all the obligations under the contract cannot be performed due to an event of force majeure; or

(4) if the contractually agreed conditions for the rescission of the contract are present.

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.

Article 31. A contract shall be terminated in any one of the following situations:

(1) if the contract has already been performed in accordance with the agreed terms;

(2) if an arbitration body or a court has decided that the contract shall be terminated; or

(3) if the parties agree through consultation to terminate the contract.

Article 32. Notices or agreements on the modification or rescission of contracts shall be made in writing.

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.

Article 34. The modification, rescission or termination of a contract shall not affect the rights of the parties to claim damages.

Article 35. The contractually agreed terms for the settlement of disputes shall not become invalid because of the rescission or termination of a contract.

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.

CHAPTER VI THE SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES

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.

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.

CHAPTER VII SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS

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.

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.

Article 41. This Law may apply to contracts concluded before it goes into effect, if this is agreed by the parties through consultation.

Article 42. The State Council shall, in accordance with this Law, formulate rules for its implementation.

Article 43. This Law shall go into effect on July 1, 1985.
Note: The present rules have been abrogated by the "Contract Law of the PRC"(Date of Promulgation: March 15, 1999; Date of Enforcement: October 1, 1999).

Message: Please kindly comment on the present translation.
You have not signed in. Sign in first and then leave your message.
Confirmation Code:	Please show a different one!

All the materials on this Web site are translated by lawinfochina.com, with their copy rights being exclusively owned by lawinfochina.com, except a handful of documents published here as authorized by their respective copyright owners or coming from the open information of the government.
Due to the differences in language, legal system, culture, etc., the English versions are for reference only. Please use the official Chinese versions for authority, and lawinfochina.com and its staff will not be directly or indirectly liable for any use of the materials.
We welcome your valued opinions and suggestions, and lawinfochina.com will continue improving the quality and quantity of the materials, boosting the translation speed and correcting errors.

Link Title >>

·Contract Law of the People's Republic of China

©Copyright Chinalawinfo Co.,Ltd

database@chinalawinfo.com

中华人民共和国涉外经济合同法

发布日期：	1985-03-21	发布部门：	全国人大常委会
生效日期：	1985-07-01	类别：	合同

*注：本篇法规已被《中华人民共和国合同法》（发布日期：1999年3月15日实施日期：1999年10月1日）废止

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）

（相关资料: 法律3篇行政法规3篇部门规章22篇司法解释9篇其他规范性文件2篇地方法规21篇案例9篇裁判文书172篇相关论文111篇）

第一章　总　则

　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。

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书3篇相关论文5篇）

　第三条　订立合同，应当依据平等互利、协商一致的原则。
（相关资料: 案例1篇裁判文书4篇相关论文1篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书4篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 司法解释4篇案例4篇裁判文书26篇相关论文5篇）

　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。（相关资料: 裁判文书1篇相关论文1篇）

第二章　合同的订立

　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。
（相关资料: 部门规章2篇裁判文书16篇相关论文6篇）

　第八条　合同订明的附件是合同的组成部分。
（相关资料: 裁判文书3篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书11篇相关论文1篇）

　第十条　采取欺诈或者胁迫手段订立的合同无效。
（相关资料: 案例2篇裁判文书2篇相关论文1篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 案例1篇裁判文书3篇相关论文2篇）

　第十二条　合同一般应当具备以下条款：
一、　合同当事人的名称或者姓名、国籍、主营业所或者住所；
二、　合同签订的日期、地点；
三、　合同的类型和合同标准的种类、范围；
四、　合同标准的技术条件、质量、标准、规格、数量；
五、　履行的期限、地点和方式；
六、　价格条件、支付金额、支付方式和各种附带的费用；
七、　合同能否转让或者合同转让的条件；
八、　违反合同的赔偿和其他责任；
九、　合同发生争议时的解决方法；
十、　合同使用的文字及其效力。
（相关资料: 相关论文2篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书2篇相关论文1篇）

　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。

　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。（相关资料: 裁判文书1篇）

第三章　合同的履行和违反合同的责任

　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。
（相关资料: 案例2篇裁判文书39篇相关论文1篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 相关论文1篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书54篇相关论文2篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 案例1篇裁判文书22篇相关论文6篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书18篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书4篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书1篇相关论文2篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书40篇相关论文1篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 相关论文1篇）

　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。（相关资料: 裁判文书1篇）

第四章　合同的转让

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书3篇相关论文3篇）

　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。（相关资料: 其他规范性文件1篇裁判文书2篇相关论文2篇）

第五章　合同的变更、解除和终止

　第二十八条　经当事人协商同意后，合同可以变更。

　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：
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；
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；
三、　发生不可抗力事件，致使合同的全部义务不能履行；
四、　合同约定的解除合同的条件已经出现。
（相关资料: 案例1篇裁判文书19篇相关论文6篇）

　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。

　第三十一条　有下列情形之一的，合同即告终止：
一、　合同已按约定条件得到履行；
二、　仲裁机构裁决或者法院判决终止合同；
三、　双方协商同意终止合同。
（相关资料: 裁判文书4篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 案例1篇裁判文书3篇相关论文1篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书1篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书5篇相关论文2篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 相关论文2篇）

　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。（相关资料: 裁判文书1篇）

第六章　争议的解决

　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。
（相关资料: 司法解释1篇）

　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。（相关资料: 司法解释1篇裁判文书1篇）

第七章　附　则

　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。
（相关资料: 裁判文书3篇）

　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。
（相关资料: 部门规章1篇）

　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。

　第四十二条　国务院依据本法制定实施细则。

　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。

chl_2333