Page 18 - 2021 Policy Watch

Policy Watch: A Milestone in Legal Development: China Promulgates a Civil Code

adds one more exception, namely the creditors shall 《民法典》规定，保理人向应收账款债务人发出
provide evidence that the debtor’s property is insuffi- 应收账款转让通知的，应当表明保理人身份并附
cient to assume all its obligation or that the debtor is 有必要凭证32。《民法典》第五百四十六条沿袭
incapable of assuming its debts28. Based on the above 了《合同法》第百十条规定，债权人转让债权，
features, the Supreme People’s Court issued the Inter- 未通知债务人的，该转让对债务人不发生效力。
pretation of the Supreme People’s Court on the Ap- 在保理合同中额外增加保理人通知债务人的规
plication of the Guarantee System in the Civil Code 定，在承认其通知效力的同时，规定保理人应当
of the People’s Republic of China that potentially will 表明保理人身份并附有必要凭证以供债务人审
further refine and regulate the specific application of 核，以此保护债务人的利益。
guarantee contracts. For example, unless otherwise
subject to one of the four circumstances set forth in 同时，《民法典》还规定了应收账款债权人与债
Article 687 (2) of the Civil Code, the court will not 务人无正当理由变更或协商基础合同不得对抗保
support the creditor’s application for preservation of a 理人，有追索权保理中保理人行使请求权的选择
general guarantor’s assets. In a general guarantee, the 权，无追索权保理业务中保理人权利范围，应收
creditor cannot only sue the guarantor, but it must add 账款订立多重保理合同情形下保理人权利顺位
the debtor as a joint defendant; otherwise, the court 等。
will dismiss the creditor’s claim.29
《最高人民法院关于适用<中华人民共和国民法
This judicial interpretation, if adapted, will further reg- 典>有关担保制度的解释》进一步细化如何处理
ulate the statute of limitations for a general guarantee. 同一应收账款同时存在保理和应收账款质押的情
In 2000, the Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court 形33。若同一应收账款同时存在保理、应收账款
on Several Issues Regarding Application of the Guarantee 质押，当事人的优先顺序与同一应收账款订立多
Law of the People’s Republic of China, Article 34 reads: 重保理合同时保理人的优先顺序一致：已经登记
“if a creditor of a general guarantee brings a lawsuit 的优先于未登记的；若均登记，登记在先的优先
or applies for arbitration against a debtor prior to the 于登记在后的；若均未登记，转让通知最先到达
expiration of the term of guarantee, the statute of limi- 应收账款债务人的保理人优先34。
tations of the guarantee contract will commence as of
the effective date of the judgement or arbitral award.” f. 合伙合同
However, this judicial interpretation has a contradic-
tion. According to the priority of allocation of a general 中国的合伙法律制度是由《民法典》的总则编、
guarantee, before the creditor applies for enforcement 合同编和《合伙企业法》分别调整。总则编规定
against the debtor but the debtor fails to make full 了合伙企业属于非法人组织，不具有法人资格，
payment, the general guarantor may refuse to assume 但是可以以自己的名义从事民事活动35。合同编
liability for the guarantee. However, if, in accordance 调整民事合伙法律关系，侧重合伙的内部关系，
with the judicial interpretation in 2000, the statute of 属于处理合伙法律关系的一般规定。《合伙企业
limitations of the guarantee contract starts after the ef- 法》则全面规定了合伙企业内外部关系规则，是
fective date of the judgement or arbitral award, obvi- 对商事合伙的特别规定。
ously, it is unfair to the creditor. As a result, the judicial
interpretation revised this provision to “if the people’s 《民法典》规定合伙合同终止前，合伙人不得分
court makes an order to terminate this execution pro- 割合伙财产36。合伙财产作为共有财产，是由合
cedure, or makes an order to terminate execution in 伙人共同管理和使用。但是本章是对合伙的一般
accordance with the Civil Procedure Law, Article 257
(3) and (5), the statute of limitations shall commence 32 《民法典》第七百六十四条
tolling as of the day of service of order on the creditor. 33 《最高人民法院关于适用<中华人民共和国民法典>有
关担保制度的解释》第六十六条
28 Civil Code, Article 687 34 《民法典》第七百八十六条
29 Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on the Application 35 《民法典》第一百零二条
of the Guarantee System in the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of 36 《民法典》第九百六十九条第二款
China, Article 26

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