Please note to register on Zoom through this link. 

Force majeure exists as a doctrine under Article 180 of the PRC General Rules on the Civil Law (中国《民法总则》) and Article 117 of the PRC Contract Law (中国《合同法》). It is defined as objective event or situation which is unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable (不能预见、不能避免、不能克服的客观情况（事件）). 

Where contracts have no provision on force majeure, the doctrine applies automatically under PRC Contract Law. Invoking force majeure requires both proof of the existence of a force majeure event and its impact on performance. 

The COVID-19 epidemic in China has understandably resulted in some companies being unable to fulfil contractual obligations. In response, the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) has started issuing force majeure certificates to qualifying enterprises.

The European Chamber welcomes Ms. Zhang Hanrong, Head of Business Certification, Certification Center, CCPIT and Mr. Ian Lewis, Partner of Mayer Brown, to explain force majeure from a PRC law perspective, how could companies apply for the force majeure certificate and respond to key concerns by enterprises. This webinar will take place on 26th February from 15:00 - 16:25 (GMT+8).

Please send your questions to webinar@europeanchamber.com.cn by COB 25th February.

Agenda

15:00 – 15:05 Welcome Remarks by Ms. Zhang Ziting, Head of Government Affairs, EUCCC

15:05 – 15:25 Force Majeure from a PRC Law Perspective by Mr. Ian Lewis, Partner of Mayer Brown

15:25 – 16:00 Force Majeure Certificate by Ms. Zhang Hanrong, Head of Business Certification, Certification Center, CCPIT

(This session is in Chinese with limited translation)

16:00 – 16:20 Q & A

16:20 – 16:25 Closing Remarks by Ms. Zhang Ziting, Head of Government Affairs, EUCCC

Terms & Conditions

Events have limited seating so to ensure your attendance we encourage advance online registration and payment. We cannot guarantee entry to anyone not registered in advance.

Payment can be made by cash, (domestic) credit/debit card or wechat. If you pay in advance by wechat we are typically able to provide you with your fapiao on arrival. For payments made on-site we will dispatch the fapiao to your given address within 5-10 days.

Cancellation Policy

If you cannot attend the event for which you have registered, please cancel your registration no later than one business day prior to the event. If you fail to notify us of your cancellation in a timely fashion, you will be charged for event costs.

To cancel you can: 1) email myqiu@europeanchamber.com.cn, or 2) cancel online if you registered for the event through the website.

Speakers

Ms. Zhang Hanrong

Head of Business Certification, Certification Center, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)

Ms. Zhang Hanrong

Head of Business Certification, Certification Center, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)

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Ms. Zhang Hanrong has extensive experience in terms of certificate issuing at CCPIT. She used to work at Legal Department and Business Law Service Center of CCPIT. She assumed Founder and Executive Editor for Special Issue on CCPIT Certificate Issuing and CCPIT ATA Briefing, she has published a series of articles on multiple magazines.

Mr. Ian Lewis

Partner, Mayer Brown

Mr. Ian Lewis

Partner, Mayer Brown

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Ian Lewis is a partner of Mayer Brown. He has over 31 years experience gained in several Asian jurisdictions and has been based in Beijing since 2002. Prior to that, he has spent time in Vietnam, Thailand and Hong Kong. He is currently Managing Partner of the Beijing office.

Over his years in Asia, Ian has had experience of negotiating large cross-broader transactions and these have included infrastructure projects, joint ventures and other investment arrangements using a broad range of structures, many of which have involved complex regulatory issues. Ian is recognised as Recommended Corporate/M&A Lawyer in the 2012 Editorial of Legal 500 Asia Pacific. He was named as a Highly Recommended Project Finance Lawyer in 2006-2008 & 2011 and a Highly Recommended Projects Lawyer in 2002, 2003 and 2005 by PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook. Legal 500 Asia Pacific also listed him as a Leading Projects Lawyer in 2002-2005. He has been recognised as a Leading Lawyer in M&A by IFLR1000 from 2012 to 2015 and 2017 to present.

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