China Law Insights

Doing business with a Chinese counterparty, hiring in China, or trying to understand a contract governed by PRC law? This site explains how Chinese civil and commercial law actually works in practice — drawing on 15 years of litigation and advisory experience before Chinese courts.

Every article cites the governing statute or judicial interpretation by name, article number and effective date, so you can verify the source yourself.

Latest articles

• China's Revised Company Law: The Five-Year Capital Contribution Deadline Explained

  3 August 2026

  Since 1 July 2024, shareholders of a Chinese limited liability company must pay up subscribed capital within five years. Here is what the rule says, who it catches, and what the transition period means for existing companies.

• Limitation Periods in Chinese Civil Litigation: The Three-Year Rule and Its Traps

  3 August 2026

  How the three-year limitation period under Article 188 of the PRC Civil Code actually works — when it starts, how it is interrupted, why a Chinese court will not raise it on its own motion, and the claims it never touches.

• Why a Chinese Court May Cut Down Your Liquidated Damages Clause

  3 August 2026

  Article 585 of the PRC Civil Code lets a court reduce an agreed damages figure that is 'manifestly higher' than actual loss. Here is how that discretion is exercised, and how to draft a clause that survives it.