Chinese Civil Procedure and the Conflict of Laws

This book provides international readers with basic knowledge of Chinese civil procedure and succinct explanations of essential issues, fundamental principles and particular institutions in Chinese civil procedure and the conflict of laws. The book begins with a survey of the Chinese procedural law and an overview of Chinese civil procedure and then focuses on essential aspects of court jurisdiction and trial procedure in civil matters. In view of the traditional importance of alternative dispute resolution in China, mediation (conciliation) and arbitration are also discussed with corresponding comparisons to civil procedure. The book also discusses issues relating to the conflict of laws, i.e. international jurisdiction under the Chinese international civil procedure law, recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments as well as Chinese choice of law rules. Focus is directed toward the Chinese Statute on the Application of Laws to Civil Relationships Involving Foreign Elements of 28 October 2010, which entered into force on 1 April 2011. CHEN Weizuo is Director of the Research Centre for Private International Law and Comparative Law at Tsinghua University’s School of Law in Beijing. He has a Doctor of Laws degree from Wuhan University, China; an LL.M. and doctor iuris, Universität des Saarlandes, Germany; professeur invité à la Faculté internationale de droit comparé de Strasbourg, France (since 2003); professeur invité à l’Université de Strasbourg, France. He has published extensively on the international laws and his publications have appeared both in and outside China. He has taught a special course in French at the Hague Academy of International Law during its 2012 summer session of private international law.