Chapter XXVI Service and Time Periods

Article 247 A people's court may serve litigation documents on a party who has no domicile within the territory of the People's Republic of China in the following ways:

(1) in the way specified in the international treaties concluded or acceded to by both the People's Republic of China and the country where the person on whom service is to be made resides;

(2) by making the service through diplomatic channels;

(3) with respect to the person on whom the service is to be made and who is of the nationality of the People's Republic of China, service may be entrusted to the embassy or consulate of the People's Republic of China accredited to the country where the person resides;

(4) by making the service on the agent ad litem who is authorized to receive the documents served;

(5) by serving the documents on the representative office established in the People's Republic of China by the person on whom the service is to be made or on his branch office or business agents there who have the right to receive the documents;

(6) by making service by mail if the law of the country where the person on whom the service is to be made resides so permits; in the event that the receipt of delivery is not returned six months after the date on which the documents were mailed, and that circumstances justify the assumption that service has been made, the service shall be deemed completed upon the expiration of the said time period; and

(7) by making service by public notice, if none of the above-mentioned methods can be employed. The service shall be deemed completed six months after the date on which the public notice was issued.

Article 248 If a defendant has no domicile within the territory of the People's Republic of China, the people's court shall serve a copy of the statement of complaint on the defendant and notify him to submit his defence within 30 days after he receives the copy of the statement of complaint. Extension of the period requested by the defendant shall be at the discretion of the people's court.

Article 249 If a party who has no domicile within the territory of the People's Republic of China is not satisfied with a judgment or written order made by a people's court of first instance, he shall have the right to file an appeal within 30 days from the date the written judgment or order is served. The appellee shall submit his defence within 30 days after receipt of a copy of the appeal petition. If a party who is unable to file an appeal or submit a defence within the period prescribed by the law requests an extension of the period, the people's court shall decide whether to grant it.

Article 250 The period for the trials of civil cases involving foreign element by the people's court shall not be restricted by the provisions of Articles 135 and 159 of this Law.

Chapter XXVII Property Preservation

Article 251 The parties to an action may, in accordance with the provisions of Article 92 of this Law, apply to the people's court for property preservation.

Interested parties may, in accordance with the provisions of Article 93 of this Law, apply to the people's court for property preservation before an action is brought.

Article 252 After a people's court makes an order granting property preservation before litigation, the applicant shall bring an action within 30 days. If he fails to bring the action within the period, the people's court shall cancel the property preservation.

Article 253 After the people's court makes an order granting property preservation, if the party against whom the application is made provides a guaranty, the people's court shall cancel the property preservation.

Article 254 If the application is wrongfully made, the applicant shall compensate the party against whom the application is made for losses incurred from the property preservation.

Article 255 If the property to be preserved by a people's court needs supervision, the court shall notify the unit concerned to be responsible for the supervision, and the party against whom the application is made shall bear the expenses.

Article 256 The order to cancel the preservation issued by a people's court shall be carried out by an execution officer.

Chapter XXVIII Arbitration

Article 257 In the case of a dispute arising from the foreign economic, trade, transport or maritime activities of China, if the parties have had an arbitration clause in the contract concerned or have subsequently reached a written arbitration agreement stipulating the submission of the dispute for arbitration to an arbitral organ in the People's Republic of China handling cases involving foreign element, or to any other arbitral body, they may not bring an action in a people's court.

If the parties have not had an arbitration clause in the contract concerned or have not subsequently reached a written arbitration agreement, they may bring an action in a people's court.

Article 258 If a party has applied for property preservation measures, the arbitral organ of the People's Republic of China handling cases involving foreign element shall refer the party's application for a decision to the intermediate people's court of the place where the party against whom the application is made has his domicile or where his property is located.

Article 259 In a case in which an award has been made by an arbitral organ of the People's Republic of China handling cases involving foreign element, the parties may not bring an action in a people's court. If one party fails to comply with the arbitral award, the other party may apply for its enforcement to the intermediate people's court of the place where the party against whom the application for enforcement is made has his domicile or where his property is located.

Article 260 A people's court shall, after examination and verification by a collegial panel of the court, make a written order not to allow the enforcement of the award rendered by an arbitral organ of the People's Republic of China handling cases involving foreign element, if the party against whom the application for enforcement is made furnishes proof that:

(1)the parties have not had an arbitration clause in the contract or have not subsequently reached a written arbitration agreement;

(2)the party against whom the application for enforcement is made was not given notice for the appointment of an arbitrator or for the inception of the arbitration proceedings or was unable to present his case due to causes for which he is not responsible;

(3)the composition of the arbitration tribunal or the procedure for arbitration was not in conformity with the rules of arbitration; or

(4) the matters dealt with by the award fall outside the scope of the arbitration agreement or which the arbitral organ was not empowered to arbitrate.

If the people's court determines that the enforcement of the award goes against the social and public interest of the country, the people's court shall make a written order not to allow the enforcement of the arbitral award.

Article 261 If the enforcement of an arbitral award is disallowed by a written order of a people's court, the parties may, in accordance with a written arbitration agreement reached between them, apply for arbitration again; they may also bring an action in a people's court.

Chapter XXIX Judicial Assistance

Article 262 In accordance with the international treaties concluded or acceded to by the People's Republic of China or with the principle of reciprocity, the people's courts of China and foreign courts may make mutual requests for assistance in the service of legal documents, in investigation and collection of evidence or in other litigation actions.

The people's court shall not render the assistance requested by a foreign court, if it impairs the sovereignty, security or social and public interest of the People's Republic of China.

Article 263 The request for the providing of judicial assistance shall be effected through channels provided in the international treaties concluded or acceded to by the People's Republic of China; in the absence of such treaties, they shall be effected through diplomatic channels.

A foreign embassy or consulate accredited to the People's Republic of China may serve documents on its citizens and make investigations and collect evidence among them, provided that the laws of the People's Republic of China are not violated and no compulsory measures are taken.

Except for the conditions provided in the preceding paragraph, no foreign organization or individual may, without the consent of the competent authorities of the People's Republic of China, serve documents or make investigations and collect evidence within the territory of the People's Republic of China.

Article 264 The letter of request for judicial assistance and its annexes sent by a foreign court to a people's court shall be appended with a Chinese translation or a text in any other language or languages specified in the relevant international treaties.

The letter of request and its annexes sent to a foreign court by a people's court for judicial assistance shall be appended with a translation in the language of that country or a text in any other language or languages specified in the relevant international treaties.

Article 265 The judicial assistance provided by the people's courts shall be rendered in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the laws of the People's Republic of China. If a special form of judicial assistance is requested by a foreign court, it may also be rendered, provided that the special form requested does not contradict the laws of the People's Republic of China.

Article 266 If a party applies for enforcement of a legally effective judgment or written order made by a people's court, and the opposite party or his property is not within the territory of the People's Republic of China, the applicant may directly apply for recognition and enforcement to the foreign court which has jurisdiction. The people’s court may also, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the international treaties concluded or acceded to by China, or with the principle of reciprocity, request recognition and enforcement by the foreign court.

If a party applies for enforcement of a legally effective arbitral award made by an arbitral organ in the People's Republic of China handling cases involving foreign element and the opposite party or his property is not within the territory of the People's Republic of China, he may directly apply for recognition and enforcement of the award to the foreign court which has jurisdiction.

Article 267 If a legally effective judgment or written order made by a foreign court requires recognition and enforcement by a people's court of the People's Republic of China, the party concerned may directly apply for recognition and enforcement to the intermediate people's court of the People's Republic of China which has jurisdiction. The foreign court may also, in accordance with the provisions of the international treaties concluded or acceded to by that foreign country and the People's Republic of China or with the principle of reciprocity, request recognition and enforcement by a people's court.

Article 268 In the case of an application or request for recognition and enforcement of a legally effective judgment or written order of a foreign court, the people's court shall, after examining it in accordance with the international treaties concluded or acceded to by the People's Republic of China or with the principle of reciprocity and arriving at the conclusion that it does not contradict the basic principles of the law of the People's Republic of China nor violates State sovereignty, security and social and public interest of the country, recognize the validity of the judgment or written order, and, if required, issue a writ of execution to enforce it in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Law; if the application or request contradicts the basic principles of the law of the People's Republic of China or violates State sovereignty, security and social and public interest of the country, the people's court shall not recognize and enforce it.

Article 269 If an award made by a foreign arbitral organ requires the recognition and enforcement by a people's court of the People's Republic of China, the party concerned shall directly apply to the intermediate people's court of the place where the party subjected to enforcement has his domicile or where his property is located. The people's court shall deal with the matter in accordance with the international treaties concluded or acceded to by the People's Republic of China or with the principle of reciprocity.

Article 270 This Law shall go into effect as of the date of promulgation, and the Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China (for Trial Implementation) shall be abrogated simultaneously.

The English translation is for reference only and if there is any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.