Civil Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of Ch

CivilProcedureLawofthePeople’sRepublicofChina(AdoptedattheFourthSessionoftheSeventhNationalPeople’sCongressonApril9,1991;amendedaccordingtotheDecisiononAmendingtheCivilProcedureLawofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaadoptedatthe30thMeetingoftheStandingCommitteeoftheTenthNationalPeople’sCongressonOctober28,2007)ContentsPartOneGeneralProvisionsChapterITheAim,ScopeofApplicationandBasicPrinciplesChapterIIJurisdictionSection1JurisdictionbyForumLevelSection2TerritorialJurisdictionSection3TransferandDesignationofJurisdictionChapterIIITrialOrganizationChapterIVWithdrawalChapterVParticipantsinProceedingsSection1PartiesSection2AgentsAdLitemChapterVIEvidenceChapterVIITimePeriodsandServiceSection1TimePeriodsSection2ServiceChapterVIIIConciliationChapterIXPropertyPreservationandAdvanceExecutionChapterXCompulsoryMeasuresAgainstObstructionofCivilProceedingsChapterXILitigationCostsPartTwoTrialProcedureChapterXIIOrdinaryProcedureofFirstInstanceSection1BringingaLawsuitandEntertainingaCaseSection2PreparationsforTrialSection3TrialinCourtSection4SuspensionandTerminationofLitigationSection5JudgmentandOrderChapterXIIISummaryProcedureChapterXIVProcedureofSecondInstanceChapterXVSpecialProcedureSection1GeneralStipulationsSection2CasesConcerningtheQualificationofVotersSection3CasesConcerningtheProclamationofaPersonasMissingorDeadSection4CasesConcerningtheDeterminationofLegalIncapacityorRestrictedLegalCapacityofCitizensSection5CasesConcerningtheDeterminationofaPropertyasOwnerlessChapterXVIProcedureforTrialSupervisionChapterXVIISummaryProcedureforHasteningRecoveryofaDebtChapterXVIIIProcedureforPublicizingPublicNoticeforAssertionofClaimsPartThreeProcedureofExecutionChapterXIXGeneralStipulationsChapterXXApplicationforExecutionandReferralChapterXXIExecutionMeasuresChapterXXIISuspensionandTerminationofExecutionPartFourSpecialProvisionsforCivilProceedingsofCasesInvolvingForeignElementChapterXXIIIGeneralPrinciplesChapterXXIVJurisdictionChapterXXVServiceandTimePeriodsChapterXXVIPropertyPreservationChapterXXVIIArbitrationChapterXXVIIIJudicialAssistancePartOneGeneralProvisionsChapterITheAim,ScopeofApplicationandBasicPrinciplesArticle1TheCivilProcedureLawofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaisformulatedonthebasisoftheConstitutionandinthelightoftheexperienceandactualconditionsofourcountryinthetrialofcivilcases.Article2TheCivilProcedureLawofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaaimstoprotecttheexerciseofthelitigationrightsofthepartiesandensuretheascertainingoffactsbythepeople'scourts,distinguishrightfromwrong,applythelawcorrectly,trycivilcasespromptly,affirmcivilrightsandobligations,imposesanctionsforcivilwrongs,protectthelawfulrightsandinterestsoftheparties,educatecitizenstovoluntarilyabidebythelaw,maintainthesocialandeconomicorder,andguaranteethesmoothprogressofthesocialistconstruction.Article3Indealingwithcivillitigationarisingfromdisputesonpropertyandpersonalrelationsbetweencitizens,legalpersonsorotherorganizationsandbetweenthethreeofthem,thepeoples'courtsshallapplytheprovisionsofthisLaw.Article4WhoeverengagesincivillitigationwithintheterritoryofthePeople'sRepublicofChinamustabidebythisLaw.Article5Aliens,statelesspersons,foreignenterprisesandorganizationsthatbringsuitsorenterappearanceinthepeople'scourtsshallhavethesamelitigationrightsandobligationsascitizens,legalpersonsandotherorganizationsofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.Ifthecourtsofaforeigncountryimposerestrictionsonthecivillitigationrightsofthecitizens,legalpersonsandotherorganizationsofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,thepeople'scourtsofthePeople'sRepublicofChinashallfollowtheprincipleofreciprocityregardingthecivillitigationrightsofthecitizens,enterprisesandorganizationsofthatforeigncountry.Article6Thepeople'scourtsshallexercisejudicialpowerswithrespecttocivilcases.Thepeople'scourtsshalltrycivilcasesindependentlyinaccordancewiththelaw,andshallbesubjecttonointerferencebyanyadministrativeorgan,publicorganizationorindividual.Article7Intryingcivilcases,thepeople'scourtsmustbasethemselvesonfactsandtakethelawasthecriterion.Article8Thepartiesincivillitigationshallhaveequallitigationrights.Thepeople'scourtsshall,inconductingthetrials,safeguardtheirrights,facilitatetheirexercisingtherights,andapplythelawequallytothem.Article9Intryingcivilcases,thepeople'scourtsshallconductconciliationforthepartiesonavoluntaryandlawfulbasis;ifconciliationfails,judgmentsshallberenderedwithoutdelay.Article10Intryingcivilcases,thepeople'scourtsshall,accordingtotheprovisionsofthelaw,followthesystemsofpanelhearing,withdrawal,publictrialandthecourtofsecondinstancebeingthatoflastinstance.Article11Citizensofallnationalitiesshallhavetherighttousetheirnativespokenandwrittenlanguagesincivilproceedings.Whereminoritynationalitiesliveinaggregationinacommunityorwhereseveralnationalitieslivetogetherinonearea,thepeople'scourtsshallconducthearingsandissuelegaldocumentsinthespokenandwrittenlanguagescommonlyusedbythelocalnationalities.Thepeople'scourtsshallprovidetranslationsforanyparticipantintheproceedingswhoisnotfamiliarwiththespokenorwrittenlanguagescommonlyusedbythel