Source: https://www.ukpandi.com/ja/%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E3%81%A8%E5%87%BA%E7%89%88%E7%89%A9/article/china-time-bars-136783/
Timestamp: 2018-02-26 03:00:53
Document Index: 292925078

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 135', 'Art. 137', 'Art. 140', 'Art.137', 'Art. 136', 'Art. 136', 'Art. 136', 'Art. 136', 'Art. 129']

General rules on time bars under Chinese law
The General Principles of Civil Law of China provides that a general 2-year time bar is applicable for civil claims (Art. 135, The General Principles of Civil Law). The time bar starts counting from the day on which the claimant knows or ought to know that his right is infringed (Art. 137, The General Principles of Civil Law). Under no circumstance should a People’s Court support a claim which has exceeded 20 years from the date when the right is infringed.
According to Art. 140 of The General Principles of Civil Law, a time bar may be interrupted if:
a law suit is brought;
one party makes a claim against the other party;
or one party agrees to fulfil his obligations.
The time bar will reinstate upon the occurrence of one of the above events. For maritime claims, a time bar can also be interrupted by arrest of ship.
During the last 6 months of the limitation period, the time bar can be suspended on the grounds that a force majeure or other obstacles prevent the claimant from exercising his right. The time bar shall resume on the day when the grounds for the suspension are eliminated.
There is no authority under Chinese law suggesting that a time bar can be extended by agreement. However, a People’s Court may exercise its discretion to extend the time bar under special circumstances (Art.137, The General Principles of Civil Law). It is noteworthy that such discretion will rarely be exercised by a court.
Notwithstanding the general 2-year time bar, specific time bars may apply for certain types of claims under Chinese civil law. These specific time bars are summarised in the following table.
Personal injury (Art. 136, The General Principles of Civil Law) 1 year
Sales of substandard products (Art. 136, The General Principles of Civil Law) 1 year
Delays in paying rent or refusal to pay rent (Art. 136, The General Principles of Civil Law) 1 year
Loss of or damage to belongings left in the custody of another person (Art. 136, The General Principles of Civil Law) 1 year the day on which the claimant knows or ought to know that his right is infringed
Contracts on technology import and export (Art. 129, Contract Law)
It is notable that the new General Principles of Civil Law of China has been drafted and is under review by the National People’s Congress. The new legislation aims to introduce a 3-year general time bar replacing the current 2-year time bar. The specific time bars summarised above may also be changed should the new legislation come into force.