礼德洞察 | 中国民法典的通过及其对涉外合同的影响

概览 

At a Glance

2020年5月28日，中华人民共和国（“中国”）最高立法机关，全国人民代表大会（第十三届）通过了社会各界期待已久的《中华人民共和国民法典》（“《民法典》”）。《民法典》由七编以及附则组成，共有84章及1260则条文，是中国历史上涉及范围最广的立法，也是唯一被正式命名为“典”的法律。

On May 28, 2020, China’s top legislature – the 13th National People’s Congress passed the long-expected Civil Code. Comprised of seven parts plus supplementary provisions, 84 chapters and 1,260 articles, the Civil Code is the most extensive legislation in the history of the People’s Republic of China, and this is the only legislation officially named a “code”.

《民法典》将于2021年1月1日生效，而与此同时，《中华人民共和国民法通则》、《中华人民共和国婚姻法》、《中华人民共和国担保法》、《中华人民共和国合同法》、 《中华人民共和国物权法》及《中华人民共和国侵权责任法》等法律将会被废除。

The Civil Code will take effect on 1 January 2021, and when it takes effect, it will abolish, among other laws, the General Provisions of the PRC Civil Law, the PRC Marriage Law, the PRC Guarantee Law, the PRC Contract Law, the PRC Property Law and the PRC Tort Liability Law. 

《民法典》的规定涉及到社会生活的方方面面，对于每一位中国公民都至关重要。《民法典》的通过被认为是中国法律制度发展的一个里程碑，因为其不仅涉及了民法和商事法的基本法律规则，还加强了对公民个人权利的保护，例如隐私权和个人信息权等。毫无疑问，《民法典》同样也会对涉外交易产生一定影响。本文旨在简要介绍新颁布的《民法典》及其对涉外合同的影响。

The Civil Code touches upon almost every dimension of civil society and is a significant legislation for every individual in China. The adoption of the Civil Code is widely acclaimed as a milestone in the development of China’s legal system, as the Civil Code not only codifies the fundamental rules of law on civil and commercial matters but also strengthens the protection of citizens’ personal rights such as rights of privacy and personal information. This legislation will certainly have influence on foreign-related dealings in China. The purpose of this article is to introduce the newly enacted Civil Code and its implication on foreign-related contracts. 

中国民法典简史

A brief history of the PRC Civil Code 

中国制定民法典的历史可以追溯到1954年，全国人民代表大会常务委员会（“人大常委会”）组织了专门的民法典起草小组。但由于当时中国经济并不稳定、政治动荡，1954年和1962年做出的两次尝试都失败了。

The quest for a comprehensive civil code in the PRC dates back to 1954 when the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) appointed a panel to lead the drafting of a civil code. The first two attempts in 1954 and 1962 failed because of the then struggling economy and political turmoil in China.

1978年12月中国开始实行改革开放后，人大常委会再次尝试起草民法典，以期能够满足1979年建设市场经济的需要。但根据中国当时的经济和社会条件，制定出完整的民法典存在一定困难。因此，人大常委会最终决定采用一种创新的方式，即首先制定民法单行法律，待在条件成熟时再研究制定一部完整的民法典。

After the Chinese government launched the ‘reform and opening-up policy’ in December 1978, the NPCSC re-commenced the drafting of a civil code in an attempt to meet the needs of building a market-oriented economy in 1979. The sweeping changes in the country’s economic and social conditions made it impossible to create a complete civil code at the time. Therefore, the NPCSC ultimately decided to embrace a new approach – to enact a series of separate civil law statutes first and then integrate them into a unified code when conditions were ripe for change.

就此开始，中国制定并修改了许多民法单行法律，其中包括《民法通则》、《婚姻法》、《继承法》、《担保法》以及《合同法》等法律。

A large number of civil law statutes have been formulated or amended since then, among them the General Provisions of the Civil Law, Marriage Law, Inheritance Law, Guarantee Law, and Contract Law, etc.  

2001年，中国立法机关第四次尝试制定民法典。该草案于2002年提交至人大常委会审议，但却由于其复杂性和引起的争议而被搁置。尽管如此，立法机关仍然延续之前的方式，陆续颁布了《物权法》和《侵权责任法》，并且也对其他民事法律进行了修订，这为将来制定民法典奠定了基础。

The Chinese legislature attempted for the fourth time to create a civil code in 2001. A draft civil code was submitted to the NPCSC for its review in 2002, but was shelved at the time because of its complexity and controversy. Nonetheless, the NPCSC continued with the approach to adopt separate civil law statutes. As such, the Property Law and Tort Liability Law were enacted and a number of other statutes were substantially revised, which laid the groundwork for a future civil code.

2014年10月，作为推进法治的必经之路，中共决定在2020年完成编制统一的民法典。2017年3月，《民法总则》颁布，并且从2018年8月开始，人大常委会陆续审议了六个分编草案。之后，《民法典》最终稿提交给全国人大审议并于2020年5月28日通过。历经六十余载编纂历程，中国就此实现了制定全面现代的民法典的夙愿。

In October 2014, the Communist Party of China, as a necessary step in advancing the country’s rule of law, resolved to compile a unified civil code by 2020. In March 2017, the general provisions of the Civil Code was ratified, and beginning in August 2018, six draft parts were reviewed in different sessions of the NPCSC. The Civil Code in its finalized form was thus presented to and adopted by the NPC at its annual session on 28 May 2020, concluding the country’s six-decade journey to enacting a comprehensive and modern civil code.   

《民法典》涉及的范围

What the Civil Code will cover

《民法典》由1260则法条组成，分为七个部分，包括总则编、物权编、合同编、人格权编、婚姻家庭编、继承编、侵权责任编以及附则。《民法典》被认为是民商事领域的系统性及基础性立法，其涵盖了中国现行的民法体系，并且集合了在不同时间发布的法律及相关修改[1]。民法典在很大程度上是现有法律的结合，旨在建立一个更加完整和合乎逻辑的制度。正如《民法典》起草组成员、中国人民大学著名法学教授王利明所解读的，作为新中国成立以来首部以“典”命名的法律，民法典所规定的是民事法律中最基本的规则，这意味着它要充分反映人民的意愿、保障人民的权益。 [2] 

The Civil Code consists of 1,260 articles in seven parts, including the general provisions, real property, contracts, personality rights, marriage and family, inheritance, tort liability, and supplementary provisions. The Civil Code will serve as a systematic, fundamental law in the civil and commercial fields. At present, China’s current civil legal system covers all of the contents in the current Civil Code and is based on a compilation of laws and amendments[1] published at different times. The Civil Code is largely a combination of existing laws, aiming to build a more complete and logical system. As mentioned by Wang Liming, a member of the drafting group of the Civil Code and a renowned law professor from Renmin University of China, "the Civil Code is the first law to carry the title 'code' for the People's Republic of China. It lays down the fundamental principles and regulations regarding civil activities and relations. It reflects the will of the people and protect their rights and interests."[2]

《民法典》内容也有相当的创新，《民法典》对合同以及侵权行为进行了分别规定，并且新增了关于人格权编。此外，物权平等保护原则首次被写入了民法典（见第207条）。而合同编则参考了德国模式，统一了合同和民事法律行为的效力规则（见第143-157条）。

There are certain major innovations. Unlike civilian tradition, the Civil Code broke out the part of obligations into contracts and torts. There is a new part on personality rights. For the first time, equal protection of state and private properties becomes the guiding principle (See article 207). In the Part on Contracts (合同编), there are no longer two sets of validity rules for contracts and civil juristic acts and both are unified under the same set of rules as in German traditions (See articles 143-157).  

《民法典》对于涉外合同的影响

How the Civil Code may affect contracts 

with foreign parties

如上所述，随着《民法典》的颁布，现行的《合同法》、《物权法》及一些其他法律将从2021年1月1日起失效。在全球化的背景下，《民法典》不仅会对中国公民有所影响， 而且还会对于涉及中国业务的外国当事人也造成一定的影响。合同编以及物权编是最受关注的部分。值得注意的是，合同编进一步完善了现有的交易规则，而物权编则完善了抵押和质押的相关规定。

With the promulgation of the Civil Code, the current contract law, property law, and other laws will therefore cease to take effect on 1 January 2021. In the context of globalization, the adoption of this historical code will affect not only the Chinese citizens, but also the foreign parties involved in China-related business. The Part on Contracts and Part on Property (物权编) are expected to be the most relevant parts. In the Civil Code, the Part on Contracts further improves the existing transaction rules, while the Part on Property develops the regulations on mortgages and pledge. 

合同编作为《民法典》中内容最多的一章，共有562则条文，与现行的《合同法》相比有较为重大的变化。对比《合同法》中规定的15种有名合同，《民法典》中规定了19种有名合同，新增了保证合同、保理合同、物业服务合同以及合伙合同。此外，随着中国电子商务的发展，《民法典》颁布了关于电子合同的相关规定。例如，如果一方的产品或服务信息已通过互联网发布（符合要约的条件），则当另一方选择产品或服务并成功提交订单后，合同成立。对于可能涉及中国相关电子商务领域的外国当事人来说，这一规定是重要的。

Composed of 562 articles, the Part on Contracts  is the largest single section in the Civil Code and there have been some significant changes when comparing it to the current Contract Law. There will now be 19 nominate contracts compared to 15 nominate contracts in the Contract Law, amongst which guarantee contract, factoring contract, realty property service contract and partnership contract are some of the new additions. Moreover, with the development of e-commerce in China, the Civil Code promulgates the regulations on concluding the contracts in e-commerce businesses. For instance, if one party’s product or service information has been released through the Internet (thus constituting an offer), an e-contract will be formed once the other party selects the product or service and places the order successfully (acceptance). This is important to foreign parties that may be involved in the field of e-commerce business in China. 

同时《民法典》也强调公平和诚实信用原则。在这方面，当事方应更加注意格式条款的相关规定。《民法典》第496条强调了交易中强势一方的义务。如果提供格式条款的一方未能就与另一方有重大利害关系的条款向另一方履行提示或说明义务，使对方没有注意或理解该条款，则另一方可以依此主张该条款不成为合同的内容。另一方面，《民法典》通过完善借款合同和融资租赁合同的有关规定，增加了对债权人的保护，并且还有一章专门针对担保合同进行规定。

The Civil Code now emphasizes the principles of fairness and good faith. In this regard, the parties should pay more attention to the new regulation of standard clauses in the contracts. Article 496 of the Civil Code emphasizes the obligations for the party to the transaction with the stronger bargaining power. If the party providing the standard clauses fails to alert the other party on the clauses which may affect his major interest in the contract, and causes the other party who does not pay attention to or does not understand such clauses to suffer, the other party may rely on such failure as a defence to argue that those clauses do not form part of the contract. On the other hand, the Civil Code increases the protection to the creditors by improving the relevant provisions of loan contracts and financial lease contracts; and there is also a special chapter on providing guarantee contracts. 

此外，外国当事人在与中国相对方进行的交易中，经常要求提供担保。在这方面，《民法典》也作了一些修改。例如，根据《民法典》第406条，除非另有协议，否则无需抵押权人的同意，抵押物就可以转让。但是，相应的抵押权并不会受到影响。同样，与现行担保法律相比，《民法典》以更好地平衡了保证人和债权人的利益。例如，当事人若未在保证合同中约定保证方式或者约定不明确的，按照一般保证承担保证责任（见第686条）。一般保证人享有先诉抗辩权。

Furthermore, it is quite common for foreign parties dealing with PRC counterparties to request for guarantees or the alike as security. In this regard, the Civil Code also makes some modifications. For example, according to Article 406 of the Civil Code, unless agreed otherwise, the ownership of the mortgaged property or asset might be transferred without the mortgagee’s consent. However, the mortgagee’s rights will not be affected. Also, compared to the Guarantee Law of PRC, the Civil Code balances the interests of the guarantee and the creditor in a better way. Where the parties do not stipulate the type of guarantee or where the agreement is not clear, the guarantee responsibility shall be assumed in accordance with the general guarantee (See Article 686). The general guarantee could enjoy the defence where the creditor has to go after the debtor first. 

最后，《民法典》将一些未写入单行法中的规定加入了正式的法典中，例如，在《最高人民法院关于适用<合同法>若干问题的解释（二）》（“合同法解释二”）第二十六条中规定的“情势变更”原则。该原则为解决当前与COVID-19相关的纠纷提供了一定依据，具有重要的现实意义。但值得注意的是，合同法解释二中的“情势变更”似乎并未被《民法典》第533条完全涵盖，若争议涉及不能实现合同目的，则可能需要适用第580条。相关实践仍有待法院的进一步澄清。

Last but not least, the Civil Code formally codifies some areas left out in the existing laws and integrates such areas into a formal piece of legislation. For example, the doctrine of change of circumstance, currently only embedded in Article 26 of the Interpretation II of the Supreme People's Court of Several Issues concerning the Application of the Contract Law, has been codified in the Civil Code. This doctrine provides a basis for resolving current COVID-19- related disputes, which has great practical significance and is especially important. However, it is noteworthy that the original change of circumstances regime as set out in Interpretation II appears to not be fully covered by Article 533 and the Article 580 on frustration may be relied on when disputes arise. The relevant practices may still be pending further clarifications from the Authorities.

总结

Conclusion 

《民法典》是中国一部重要的综合性立法，其对于中国公民的生活提供了各个方面的规定和指导。《民法典》将于2021年1月1日生效。根据中国司法实践，我们认为将来可能会有更多的实施细则、司法解释和补充说明出台，帮助大众认识和了解《民法典》。我们将跟进《民法典》的最新动态，并及时为您提供更新信息。

The Civil Code is a major consolidated piece of legislation in China and will serve as a guide and will regulate on almost every aspect of the PRC citizens’ civil lives.  As the Civil Code is tentatively to take effect only on 1 January 2021, we expect that in the near future, there may be more implementation rules, judicial interpretations, and supplements to follow up on in order to assist the public’s understanding of the Civil Code as a commonly observed judicial practice in China. We will keep abreast of the latest developments on the Civil Code and provide you with timely updates.

参考资料：

[1]. These laws and amendments include: the General Principles of Civil Law (amended on  27 August, 2009), the Contract Law (adopted on 15 March, 1999), the Marriage Law (amended on 28 April, 2001), the Succession Law (adopted on 10 April, 1985), the Adoption Law (amended on  4 November, 1998), the Guarantee Law (adopted on 30 June, 1995), the Property Law (adopted on 16 March, 2007), and the Tort Law (adopted on 26 December, 2009).

[2]. Available at www.xinhuanet.com. 

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