China Passes the General Provisions of its Civil Law

The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (the "PRC") passed the General Provisions of the PRC Civil Law (in Chinese, 中华人民共和国民法总则) (the "General Provisions") on 15 March 2017, which will take effect on 1 October 2017. The General Provisions are the opening chapter of the PRC civil code planned to be enacted in 2020, covering principles of civil law, definitions of terms in the civil legal system, civil rights, basic rules for civil acts, agency, civil liability, and litigation. In this Update, we set out some key highlights of the General Provisions.