Insight into China’s Revision on Civil Procedure Law

Introduction

On 31 August 2012 a revision of the PRC Civil Procedure Law (the "CPL") was adopted and is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2013. This is the third revision of the CPL to be adopted and affects 85 articles, which cover a wide range of matters including case filing, evidence and enforcement procedure. Several new procedures have also been added which cover public interest litigation, small claims litigation, mediation agreements and other topics.

Background and Policy Objectives

The National People's Congress Committee on Law commenced revision of the CPL in 2010. The current revision of the CPL aims to address concerns raised by the legal profession about court efficiency, the rights of litigants, clarity of the rules of evidence and adjudication supervision in civil proceedings.