China - Central Authority (Art. 2) and practical information

Central Authority(ies):

Ministry of Justice

Contact details:

Address: Ministry of Justice of China
International Legal Cooperation Center (ILCC)
33, Pinganli Xidajie
Xicheng District
Beijing 100035
China
Telephone: +86 10 5560 4537
Fax: +86 10 5560 4538
E-mail: inquiry@ilcc.online
General website: http://en.moj.gov.cn/
For online submission of requests, for more information, see here.
Contact person: Ms Zhiying Li
Languages spoken by staff: Chinese, English

 

Practical Information

Blocking statutes:

A foreign embassy or consulate to the People's Republic of China may serve documents on and take evidence from its citizens but shall not violate the laws of the People's Republic of China and shall not take compulsory measures.

Except for the circumstances in the preceding paragraph, no foreign authority or individual shall, without permission from the competent authorities of the People's Republic of China, serve documents or take evidence within the territory of the People's Republic of China.

Chapter I
(Letters of Requests)

Transmission of Letters of Requests: The request may be forwarded by the Ministry of Justice and the High People’s Court of Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Guangxi, and Hainan.
Authority responsible for informing of the time and place of the execution of Letter of Request
(Art. 7):
Central Authority
Presence of judicial personnel at the execution of the Letter of Request (Art. 8): No declaration.
Privileges and duties existing under the law of States other than the State of origin and the State of execution
(Art. 11):
No declaration.
Translation requirements
Arts 4(2) and 33):
In order to facilitate and expedite the execution of the request, the requesting country is strongly recommended to provide Chinese translations whenever possible.
 
Costs relating to execution of the Letters of Request
(Arts 14(2)(3) and 26):
Normally no cost required to be reimbursed except for extraordinarily large costs relating to execution of the request.
Time for execution: 6-12 months.
Pre-trial discovery of documents
Art. 23):
Qualified exclusion. See declarations.
Information about domestic rules on the taking of evidence: 

CHAPTER VI Evidence

CHAPTER X Compulsory Measures Against Obstruction of Civil Proceedings

Part 4,Chapter 27 of the Civil Procedural Law of People`s Republic of China

Witness examination under Chapter I

Should Letters of Request include specific questions to be used during witness examination or only a list of matters to be addressed? A specific question list is preferred.
Is it a public or private hearing? In practice, it is usually not conducted in public.
Do the judicial authorities "blue-pencil" Letters of Requests (i.e. rephrase, restructure and / or strike out objectionable questions or offensive wording so that a Letter of Request may be executed under the laws of the requested State)?  
Is the witness provided in advance with a copy of the questions / matters to be addressed as contained in the Letter of Request?  
Are documents produced by the witness authenticated by the court? No.
Is an oath generally administered to the witness? Not necessary, but the judicial official who takes evidence will explain with him about the legal consequences for the act of perjury.
Can the witness be made subject to further examination and recall? It depends on the decision made by the judges from the requested counties.
Are there sanctions for non-appearance of witness? No.
Must interpreters who assist with the witness examination be court-certified? The interpreters should be provided by the qualified translation companies, or be accepted by all parties.
How is the testimony transcribed?  

Chapter II
(Taking of evidence by diplomatic officers, consular agents and commissioners)

Article 15 Applicable
Article 16 Not applicable
Article 17 Not applicable
Article 18 Not applicable

Taking of evidence by video-links
(under either chapter)

Chapter I

Are there legal obstacles to the use of video links?  
Technology used:  
Level of interpretation required:  
Simultaneous or in sequence interpretation:  
Interpretation required in which jurisdiction?  
Who pays for the interpretation?  
How would a request for evidence be handled if witness not willing?  

Chapter II

Are there legal obstacles to the use of video links?  
Technology used:  
Level of interpretation required:  
Simultaneous or in sequence interpretation:  
Interpretation required in which jurisdiction?  
Who pays for the interpretation?  

Other Information

Bilateral or multilateral agreements 39 bilateral treaties on judicial assistance in civil matters between China and other countries.
Useful links:

Online treaty library: http://treaty.mfa.gov.cn/Treaty/web/index.jsp

China law library: https://flk.npc.gov.cn/

Competent authorities (Art. 17) N/A
Additional authorities (Art. 24) No.

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