The Evolution of China’s Codification of Private International Law and Its Latest Development: Comments on China’s New PIL‑Act

Prior to the 20th century, the codification of private international law in China progressed in very slow pace, even though the earliest conflict rule already emerged in the Tang Code of 651. The promulgating of the Statute on the Application of Law on August 5, 1918 marked the birth of China’s modern private international law. Since the reform and open‑door policy was initiated in 1978, the codification of private international law in China has been entering into a stage of rapid and great improvement. A series of choice‑of‑law rules have been laid down in some domestic legislations, such as the General Principles of the Civil Law of 1986, the Maritime Act of 1992, the Civil Aviation Act of 1995, etc., and a lot of related judicial interpretations. However, the non‑systematic, incomplete, lacking conformity and unscientific provisions in the existing legislations cannot meet the practical needs. With the unremitting efforts of Chinese legislature and scholars of private international law over 20 years, the Act of the PRC on the Application of Laws in Foreign‑Related Civil Relations (PIL‑Act) was adopted on October 28, 2010. This Act contains 8 chapters and 52 articles, and reflects, both in style and in specific rules, many outstanding features, e.g. the expansion of the scope of party autonomy, habitual residence used as main connecting point in determining lex personalis, increased flexibility in application of laws. Meanwhile, there are some shortcomings in the PIL‑Act which should be improved through the judicial interpretations and subsequent legislative amendments in the future.