For information only – not an official document
UNIS/L/327
6 May 2022
VIENNA, 6 May (UN Information Service) – On 5 May 2022 China deposited a declaration of extension of the territorial application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) to Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China (“the HKSAR”). The territorial application will take effect on 1 December 2022 according to article 97(3) of the CISG. The declaration that China is not bound by article 1(1)(b) CISG shall not apply to the HKSAR.
The UNCITRAL Secretariat has partnered with the Department of Justice of the HKSAR in disseminating awareness of the CISG in the HKSAR in the framework of ongoing collaboration relating to international trade law.
The CISG is a fundamental international trade law treaty and a major success of the work of UNCITRAL and has inspired several national and regional legislative texts. It establishes a comprehensive code of legal rules governing the formation of contracts for the international sale of goods, the obligations of the buyer and seller, remedies for breach of contract and other aspects of the contract.
The CISG provides an equitable and modern uniform framework for the contract of sale, which is the backbone of international trade in all countries, irrespective of their legal tradition or level of economic development. Its adoption and use may contribute significantly to introducing certainty in commercial exchanges and decreasing transaction costs.
***
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. Its mandate is to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, insolvency, international payments, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development. UNCITRAL also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts. The UNCITRAL Secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria, and maintains a website at uncitral.un.org.
* *** *
For information, please contact:
José Angelo Estrella Faria
Principal Legal Officer and Head, Legislative Branch
UNCITRAL Secretariat
Email: joseangelo.estrella-faria[at]un.org
