Limitation of liability for maritime claims in civil law of the People's Republic of China

Abstract

This article reviews the relevant issue of civil law regulation in the sphere of freight transportation. China is seeking for new safe routes for freight transportation to the European market, including sea routes, giving preference to the Northern Silk Road. The subject of this research is the comprehension of individual provisions of the Chinese legislation that are specific to both Russian and international law. The object of this research is the determination of peculiarities of the law of the sea, namely the question of limitation of liability for maritime claims in civil law of the People's Republic of China. Special attention is given to the aspect of harmonization of the norms of the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China and the Merchant Shipping Code the Russian Federation in this issue. The acquired results demonstrate the shared interest of the two countries lies in the routes of the Northern Sea Road, which actualizes the problem of harmonization of legislation. The government of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China declare the need for harmonization of legal norms that regulate merchant shipping. Leaning on one of the normative fragments related to joint maritime operations along the routes of the Northern Silk Road, the author concludes that further development of cooperation and expansion of the list of bilateral issues of normative legal regulation in this sphere requires a collective plan aimed at harmonization of legislation based on the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation.