International Sale of Goods: A Private International Law Comparative and Prospective Analysis of Sino-European Relations PDF
Preview International Sale of Goods: A Private International Law Comparative and Prospective Analysis of Sino-European Relations
China-EU Law Series 5 Nicolas Nord Gustavo Cerqueira Editors International Sale of Goods A Private International Law Comparative and Prospective Analysis of Sino- European Relations China-EU Law Series Volume 5 Serieseditor China-EUSchoolofLaw Editors-in-Chief FeiLiu ArminHatje Editors Bj€ornAhl RogierCreemers Moreinformationaboutthisseriesathttp://www.springer.com/series/11933 Nicolas Nord (cid:129) Gustavo Cerqueira Editors International Sale of Goods A Private International Law Comparative and Prospective Analysis of Sino-European Relations Editors NicolasNord GustavoCerqueira FacultyofLaw FacultyofLaw UniversityofStrasbourg UniversityofReimsChampagne-Ardenne Strasbourg,France Reims,France ISSN2198-2708 ISSN2198-2716 (electronic) China-EULawSeries ISBN978-3-319-54035-1 ISBN978-3-319-54036-8 (eBook) DOI10.1007/978-3-319-54036-8 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017938022 ©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2017 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartof the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. 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Printedonacid-freepaper ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbySpringerNature TheregisteredcompanyisSpringerInternationalPublishingAG Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:Gewerbestrasse11,6330Cham,Switzerland Foreword: The Chinese Law on Conflict of Laws and Its Interpretation by the Supreme Court On 1 April 2011, the Chinese law on the laws applicable to foreign-related civil relationscameintoforce.ItisthemilestoneoftheChineselegislationofconflictof laws.After2years,theSupremePeople’sCourthaspublished‘InterpretationIof severalquestionsaboutapplicationoftheLawontheLawsApplicabletoForeign- Related Civil Relations’ (hereinafter ‘Interpretation I’) on 7 January 2013. As a judgeoftheSupremePeople’sCourt,todayIwouldliketotalkabouttheLawon theLawsApplicabletoForeign-RelatedCivilRelations(section“TheLawonthe LawsApplicabletoForeign-RelatedCivilRelations”)anditsjudicialinterpretation bytheSupremePeople’sCourt(section“InterpretationIbytheSupremePeople’s Court”). But firstly, we should have knowledge ofthe evolution of Chineselegis- lationofconflictoflaws(section“EvolutionofChineseLegislationofConflictof Laws”). Evolution of Chinese Legislation of Conflict of Laws Inthefirst30yearsaftertheestablishmentofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,the legislation of conflict of laws was a complete blank because of the lack of diplo- maticactivitiesandtheechoesofnihilism.Withthereformandopeninguppolicy, internationalactivitieshavebeenmoreandmore,andChineselegislatorsbeganto payattentiontoconflictoflaws. In1985,article36ofSuccessionLaw(publishedon10April1985andentered into force on 1 October 1985) and article 63 of its judicial interpretation by the Supreme People’s Court (published on 11 September 1985) have provided some specialrulesforinheritancebyaChinesecitizenofanestateoutsideChinaandthe contrarysituation. In 1987, the General Principles of Civil Law (entered into force on 1 January 1987),whichhasalwaysplayedtheroleofCivilCodeinChina,hasmadespecially aChapter8fortherulesapplicabletoforeign-relatedcivilrelations.Thereareonly v vi Foreword:TheChineseLawonConflictofLawsandItsInterpretation ninearticlesinthischapter.Althoughtherulesarequitefewandtheyconcernonly theprinciples,theirexistenceshowsthatthelegislatorsbegantopaymoreattention toconflictoflaws.Thenin1988,theSupremePeople’sCourtpublished‘Opinions on several questions about the application of General Principles of Civil Law (test)’,inwhichthereare17articlesinterpretingtherulesofChapter8ofGeneral Principles of Civil Law in relation to the law applicable to foreign-related civil relation. Then in the following years, the Adoption Law (entered into force on 1 April 1992), the Maritime Code (entered into force on 1 July 1993), the Negotiable Instruments Law (entered into force on 1 January 1996), the Civil Aviation Law (enteredintoforceon1March1996)andtheContractLaw(enteredintoforceon 1 October 1999) have successively provided special rules on foreign-related civil and commercial relations in their respective fields. Foreign-related legislation of civilandcommerciallawshasenteredaprosperousperiod. We should notice that there are several structural parts of Chinese Private International Law: based on the relative rules of the Constitution (articles 18 and 32),thelawsadoptedbytheStandingCommitteeoftheNationalPeople’sCongress are the main part (the General Principles of Civil Law and others) and the docu- ments of the State Council (for example, the ‘Opinions on management of for- eigners’ permanent residence service’ of 18 February 2016 and the ‘Rules on management of the permanent representative office of foreign enterprises’ of 30 October 1980), each ministry and commission (for example, the ‘Rules on merge and acquisition of domestic enterprises by the foreign investigators of the Ministry of Commerce of PRC’ of 22 June 2009) and the local legislative docu- mentsoftheprovinces,citiesandautonomousregions(forexample,the‘Rulesof Guang Dong Province on management of the contract constructions by foreign enterprises’ of 14 April 1997) are subsidiary parts. According to Prof. Huang Jin, PresidentoftheChineseSocietyofPrivateInternationalLaw,thisdecentralisation and diversity of Chinese legislation of Private International Law is a reflection of the progressive development of the reform and opening up policy. The Chinese legislators cannot promptly enact a Code of Private International Law in the beginning due to lack of experience, while the opening up policy imperatively neededchange.Atthetime,thelegislatorshadtobepragmaticbymakingrulesin eachfieldwhiledealingwithrelativeproblemsinpractice.1 1Jin(2011),p.6. Foreword:TheChineseLawonConflictofLawsandItsInterpretation vii The Law on the Laws Applicable to Foreign-Related Civil Relations Firstly,Iwouldliketotalkaboutthelegislation’sbackground(section“Legislation Background”) and then its characteristics and some regrets for the law (section “CharacteristicsoftheLawandRegretsfortheLaw”). Legislation Background WeshouldnoticethatbeforethepublicationoftheLawontheLawsApplicableto Foreign-RelatedCivilRelations,theSupremePeople’sCourthasplayedacritical roleinmotivatingthelegislationofconflictoflaws. During the 30 years between 1980 and 2010, the Supreme People’s Court has madelotsofrulesofconflictoflawsbyjudicialinterpretationsandresponses.The mostimportantonesarethe‘Opinionsonseveralquestionsabouttheexecutionof SuccessionLaw’of11September1985,the‘Explainingofseveralquestionsabout the application of Foreign-Related Economic Contract Law’ of 19 October 1987 (ceased to be effective on 13 July 2000), the ‘Several opinions on the questions abouttheapplicationofGeneralPrinciplesofCivilLaw(test)’of2April1988,the ‘OpinionsonseveralquestionsabouttheapplicationofGeneralPrinciplesofCivil Law(test)’andthe‘Rulesonseveralquestionsabouttheapplicablelawsintrialsof foreign-relatedcivilorcommercialcontractdisputes’of11June2007(ceasedtobe effectiveon8April2013).Infact,thelasttwointerpretationshaveplayedacrucial roleinthetrialsofforeign-relatedcivilandcommercialmatters. ThesejudicialinterpretationsbytheSupremePeople’sCourtareverypractical, applicable and manoeuvrable because they are based on situations and problems that happened in practice. In the context of unperfected legislation of conflict of laws,theyhavenotonlyofferedaguidetoChinesejudgesindealingwithforeign- relatedcivilandcommercialcasesbutalsoprovidedthepracticalknowledgeforthe developmentandimprovementofthelegislation. Also,theacademiahaspromotedtheprogressoflegislationofconflictoflaws, especiallytheChineseSocietyofPrivateInternationalLaw(CSPIL).Between1993 and2000,Prof.HanDepei(thefirstpresidentofCSPIL)hasledateamtocomplete the‘ModellawofprivateinternationallawofPRC’(hereinafter‘theModelLaw’). The Model Law, which combines some rules of foreign laws and opinions of Chinese academia, is a huge success and has received a lot of attention. It has incited the legislators to complete the codification of the rules of conflict of laws. TheCSPILhasthendedicateditselftotheChineselegislationofconflictoflawsby offeringmanyproposalsanddrafts,joiningthemeetingsoflegislationdebatesand communicatingwiththePeople’sCourts. viii Foreword:TheChineseLawonConflictofLawsandItsInterpretation We should say that the communication and cooperation between the People’s Courts and the academia have facilitated the final legislation by the National People’sCongress. Characteristics of the Law and Regrets for the Law Therearethreecharacteristicsofthelaw.Firstly,inthemattersoflexpersonalis,it isthelawoftheplaceofhabitualresidencethatapplies,notthelawofnationality. Secondly, the law has expanded the scope of the application of the principle of parties’ autonomy of will, including marriage and family, succession, property rights and intellectual property rights. Especially, the application of the principle of parties’ autonomy of will to the matters of movable property rights is creative. Lastly, in the matters of intellectual property rights, it is the law of the country wheretheprotectionisclaimed.Itisinlinewithinternationalpracticeatpresent. Ofcourse,Ihavealsosomeregretsforthelaw. Thefirstoneisthatitconcernsonlyforeign-relatedcivilrelations,sotherulesof conflictoflawsincommercialrelationsliketherulesofMaritimeLaw,Negotiable InstrumentsLawandCivilAviationLawarenotincluded. The second one is that some judicial interpretations by the Supreme People’s Courthavenotbeenadopted.Forexample,todeterminethevalidityofarbitration agreement, according to article 18 of the Law on Laws Applicable to Foreign- RelatedCivilRelations,thepartiesmaychoosethelawapplicableandifnot,‘the lawoftheplacewherethearbitrationinstitutionlocatesorthelawofthearbitration placeshallapply’.However,article16oftheInterpretationofArbitrationLawby the Supreme People’s Court of 23 August 2006 provides that the following order shouldapply:thelawchosenbytheparties,thelawofthearbitrationplaceand,in absence of the first two, the lex fori. In my opinion, the solution provided by the judicialinterpretationisobviouslybetter. Thethirdoneistheabsenceofthedefinitionof‘foreign-relatedcivilrelations’, whichisgivenbytheSupremePeople’sCourtinInterpretationI. Thelastoneistheabsence ofrulesrelativetofraudoflaw, previousquestions andintersectionalconflictoflaws. Interpretation I by the Supreme People’s Court The Law on the Laws Applicable to Foreign-Related Civil Relations came into forceon1April2011.Sincethen,thefourthcivilchamberoftheSupremePeople’s CourthasbeguntheresearchonitsapplicationalloverChina.Bytheendof2011, the fourth civil chamber has finished the ‘Report on application of Law on Laws Applicable to Foreign-Related Civil Relations’. On 7 January 2013, the Supreme People’s Court has published ‘Interpretation I on several questions about the Foreword:TheChineseLawonConflictofLawsandItsInterpretation ix applicationoftheLawonLawsApplicabletoForeign-RelatedCivilRelations’to providesomenecessaryrulesinpractice.Iwouldliketotalkaboutsomeofthem. The Determination of ‘Foreign-Related’ Thelegislatorsweresuggestedtodefine‘foreign-relatedcivilrelations’inthetext. Buttheythoughtthat,firstly,theanswercouldbegivenbyajudicialinterpretation and, secondly, no country has defined ‘foreign-related civil relations or interna- tionalcivilrelations’inlaw.Hence,thereisnodefinitionofthenotionofforeign- relatedcivilrelationsintheLawontheLawsApplicabletoForeign-RelatedCivil Relations. Inthepast,wedeterminedaforeign-relatedcivilrelationthrougharticle178of the ‘Opinions on several questions about the application of General Principles of CivilLaw(test)’of1988.Accordingtothis,foreign-relatedcivilrelationexists‘if oneortwoofthepartiesareforeigners,statelesspersonsorforeignlegalentities;if the object of civil relation is located in a foreign country; if the facts that create, changeorterminatethecivilrightsandobligationshappenedinaforeigncountry’. Article 304 of the Interpretation of Civil Procedure Law of 1992 has provided a similarsolution. Butarticle1ofInterpretationIhas‘reset’thewaytodetermineforeign-related civilrelation.Basedonpracticalexperiences,wemadethefollowingmodifications: – Firstly, in article 1 §1 clause 1, we changed ‘one or two of the parties are foreigners,statelesspersonsorforeignlegalentities’to‘oneortwooftheparties are foreign citizens, foreign legal entities or organizations, stateless persons’. Wethinkthatthenewexpressionismoreprecise. – Secondly,itfocuses nomoreonnationality butadds ‘habitualresidence’asan essential element to determine a foreign-related civil relation. So article 1 §1 clause2providesthesituationwhere‘thehabitualresidenceofoneortwoofthe partieslocatesoutsidetheterritoryofPRC’. – Thirdly,wehavechanged‘foreigncountry’to‘outsidetheChineseterritory’in clauses2,3and4,whichismoreprecise. – Finally,wehaveprovidedamiscellaneousprovisioninclause 5tocoverother situationsthatmayexistinpractice.Infact,consideringtheexistenceoftheFree TradeZonesinChina,thereisatendencytoinclude‘FTZ-related’inclause5. Application in Time Article 2 provides that for foreign-related civil relations that happened before the Law on the Laws Applicable to Foreign-Related Civil Relations has come into force,theCourtsshouldapplytherelativerulesapplicableatthetimetheforeign-
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