Joint Obligations

"This book discusses a difficult and seriously defective part of the common law. Considering its practical importance, the subject of joint promises has received surprisingly little attention. Noting is commoner than for a contractual promise to be made by more than one party; yet the rules relating to joint promises are accorded little space in the English textbooks on contract, even where they are not entirely ignored. Partial expositions are to be found in works on partnership, bankruptcy, suretyship, negotiable instruments, executors, and procedure, but there is no modern monograph devoted to the subject as a whole. It is hoped that the present work will fill this gap." -- from the author's Preface, p. 3.

This is an abridged translation of the principal Chinese textbook on civil law, which was published as part of the restructuring of China's legal system following the Third Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party in late 1978. Because the closest thing China has to a civil code - the General Provisions of Civil Law enacted in 1986 - is very incomplete, this treatise is an authoritative source on the subject. "Basic Principles of Civil Law in China" translates those portions of the Chinese text that are likely to be most useful for foreigners dealing with China, such as material on contracts, torts, joint-ventures, negotiable instruments and technology transfer. It also contains general material on such matters as agency and partnership, the general principles of juristic persons, and statutes of limitations.