COVID-19 Contractual Disputes Involving Force Majeure

Speakers:

• Prof. WANG Yi, Dean, Renmin University Law School
• Dr Mimi Zou, St Hugh’s College & Faculty of Law, University of Oxford
• Dr WU Zhicheng, Renmin University Law School

Jointly organised with the Great Britain China Centre and the Centre for Common Law, Renmin University Law School.

To register, please email Dr Mimi Zou. The seminar will be recorded and shared with registered participants.

Background

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated containment measures have led to contractual defaults across a wide range of commercial transactions in China’s supply chains, domestically and globally. These disruptions have hit many enterprises hard, particularly small and medium-sized businesses. Against this backdrop, the Centre for Common Law (CCL) at Renmin University has produced an Expert Report on Force Majeure Issues Arising from the COVID-19 Epidemic.

The expert report, authored by Professor WANG Yi, Dr Mimi Zou and Dr WU Zhicheng, has developed policy recommendations to give greater legal certainty around key contractual questions relating to force majeure and change of circumstances in Chinese law, as well as providing guidance to SMEs on drafting effective boilerplate force majeure clauses in contracts. These recommendations support more efficient and fairer dispute resolution, as well as avoidance of future disputes.