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THE PRODUCT LIABILITY SYSTEM IN CHINA: RECENT CHANGES AND PROSPECTS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2014

Kristie Thomas
Kristie Thomas*
Affiliation:
Lecturer in Business Law, Nottingham University Business School, [email protected].
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Abstract

Following the enactment of the 2009 Tort Liability Law the product liability system in China is largely complete. This article sketches the development of this system before outlining some of the main substantive provisions in force today and drawing comparisons between the Chinese approach and the US and European provisions. The Article will conclude that China's product liability system provides an interesting case study which enriches the study of global trends and norms in the product liability arena. In line with many other countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, the main influence on China has been the EC Directive rather than the US model.

Keywords

Chinacivil lawconsumersproduct liabilitytort
Type
Shorter Articles and Notes
Information
International & Comparative Law Quarterly , Volume 63 , Issue 3 , July 2014 , pp. 755 - 775
Copyright
Copyright © British Institute of International and Comparative Law 2014 

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References

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2 The topic of product liability laws in China has not thus far been covered in detail in English language scholarship with one notable exception: Li, J, Law on Product Quality Control and Product Liability in China (William S Hein & Co 2006)Google Scholar.

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50 See the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of PRC homepage for more details regarding its key responsibilities in this field at <http://english.aqsiq.gov.cn/>.

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69 For Europe, see Lovells, ‘Product Liability in the European Union: A Report for the European Commission’ (2003) <http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/single-market-goods/files/goods/docs/liability/studies/lovells-study_en.pdf>. For similar findings in the Asia-Pacific, see Kellam and Nottage (n 62).

70 For example, these issues of bureaucratic tangles are explored in the field of intellectual property rights: Mertha, AC, The Politics of Piracy: Intellectual Property in Contemporary China (Cornell University Press 2005)Google Scholar.

71 Chen (n 29) 737.

72 Legal Daily, ‘Tort Liability Law Impact after 6 Months is Not Large’ (2011) <http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_Article/content/2011-01/06/content_2429044.htm?node=5955>.