On September 4, the fifth session of the 14^th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) adopted through voting the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Revising the Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China (the "Decision"), the Administrative Reconsideration Law of the People's Republic of China (Revised in 2023), and the Foreign State Immunity Law of the People's Republic of China, all effective from January 1, 2024.

The Decision mainly revises and perfects the part on "special provisions on civil actions involving foreign parties", specifically (1) revising relevant rules on jurisdiction and expanding the jurisdiction of China's courts in foreign-related civil cases; (2) adding the general provisions on parallel litigation, the principle of forum non conveniens, along with other rules; (3) modifying relevant rules for foreign service; (4) improving the judicial aid system for the civil cases involving foreign parties, and adding relevant provisions on extraterritorial investigation and evidence collection; and (5) perfecting the provisions on effective judgment of foreign courts, and the basic rules for recognition of their effectiveness and execution. The Decision also proposes corresponding revisions to other parts, including the addition of a section regarding the cases concerning appointment of estate administrators.

(Source: www.npc.gov.cn)