(Approved by the State Council of the People's Republic of China on August 7, 1995 and Promulgated by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation on September 4, 1995)

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 This detailed rules are formulated in accordance with the Law of the People's Republic of China on Sino-Foreign Contractual Joint Ventures.

Article 2 The establishment of a Sino-foreign contractual joint venture (hereinafter referred to as contractual JV) within the Chinese territory shall conform to the national development policy and industrial policy, and abide by the State instructive directory on foreign investment.

Article 3 Contractual JVs shall independently carry out its business activities and management the scope stipulated in the contractual JV agreement, and contract and articles of association, and are not subject to interference from any organization or individual.

Article 4 A contractual JV may be one with or without the Chinese legal person status.

Those without shall follow relevant special regulations stipulated in Chapter IX of this detailed rules.

Article 5 Unless otherwise regulated by laws and decrees, the administrative authority of a contractual JV is the administrative department of the Chinese party.

In cases there are more than two Chinese parties, one administrative department shall be appointed through consultations between the examination and approval authorities and the departments concerned.

The administrative department shall coordinate relevant affairs of the venture and provide assistance according to law.

Chapter II Establishment of a Contractual JV

Article 6 The establishment of a contractual JV is subject to examination and approval by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (Moftec), or authorized departments of the State Council and local people's governments.

The establishment of contractual JVs shall be examined and approved by authorized departments of the State Council and local people's governments if the joint ventures are of the following conditions:

(1) The total amount of investment falls within the limit set by the State Council for examination by authorized departments of the State Council and local people's governments.

(2) The investment fund is raised independently, and contraction and production conditions of the venture dose not need State balance.

(3) The venture's export dose not need to obtain export quotas or licenses issued by relevant State administrative departments; or if export quotas and licenses are needed, it has been granted approval by State administrative departments prior to filing the project proposal.

(4) Other cases where the establishment of a contractual JV shall be examined and approved by authorized departments of the State Council and local people's governments.

Article 7 To establish a contractual JV, the Chinese party shall submit the following documents to the examination and approval authorities:

(1)Project proposal for establishing a contractual JV, together with the documents of approval handed out by the administrative departments;

(2) Feasibility report jointly prepared by all parties, together with the documents of approval handed out by the administrative departments;

(3) Contractual JV agreement, contract and articles of association signed by the legal representatives venture, or their proxies, of all parties of the venture;

(4) Business licenses of all parties of the venture, their registration certificates, credit certificates and valid certificates of the legal representatives; in case the foreign party is a natural person, valid certificates of identification, curriculum vitae and credit conditions;

(5) List of candidates for the chairman, deputy-chairman, directors of the board of the contractual JV, or the director, deputy director and members of the joint management committee;

(6) Other documents required by the examination and approval authorities.

Except for documents listed in item (4) that need to be submitted by the foreign parties, the aforesaid documents must be submitted in the Chinese language; Documents listed in items(2),(3) and (5) may be simultaneously submitted in foreign language agreed upon by all parties of venture.

The examination and approval authorities shall decide whether to approve the application or not within 45 days from receipt of all required documents. The authorities have the right to demand mending and revision of the submitted documents within a set time if they think the documents are incomplete or have inappropriate parts.

Article 8 Morftec shall issue approval certificates to the contractual JVs approved for establishment by it and government departments authorized by the State Council.

Local people's governments authorized by the State Council shall issue approval certificates to the ventures it has approved for establishment, and shall put relevant approval documents on the record of Moftec within 30 days from the approval date.

Approved contractual JVs shall apply for registration with the administrative authorities for industry and commerce, and obtain business licenses according to law.

Article 9 Applications for the establishment of contractual JVs shall not be approval on any one of the following conditions:

(1) Detrimental to national sovereignty and public interests;

(2) Hazardous to national security;

(3) Causing pollution on environment;

(4) Other conditions that run against laws, decrees or the national industrial policy.

Article 10 The contractual JV agreement mentioned in this detailed rules refers to the written document whose principles and major points governing the JV establishment are agreed upon and concluded by all parties.

The contractual JV contract mentioned in this detailed rules refers to the written document agreed upon and concluded by all parties on their rights and obligations for establishing the venture.

The contractual JV articles of association mentioned in this detailed rules refers to the written document drafted according to the joint venture contract and agreed upon by all parties on matters including the organizational principles, operation and management methods.

In case the contractual JV agreement and the articles of association contradict with the contractual JV, the contract shall prevail.

It is not absolutely necessary for cooperative parties to formulate contractual JV agreement.

Article 11 The contractual JV agreement, contract, articles of association take effect upon the issuing date of approval certificate handed out by the examination and approval authorities.

Consent of the examination and approval authorities shall be obtained to make any major change to the agreement, contract, articles of association within the term of cooperation.

Article 12 The contractual JV contract shall include the following items:

(1) Names, registration localities, and addresses of all parties, as well as names, professions and nationalities of the legal representatives( or name, nationality, and address, in case the foreign party is a natural person).

(2) Name, address, and business scope of the contractual JV.

(3) Total amount of investment, registered capital of the venture, ways and time limit for all parties to contribute investment or provide cooperation input.

(4) Assignment of the investment contributed by all parties or conditions for transfer.

(5) Distribution of earnings or products between all parties and ways to share risks and losses.

(6) Composition of the board of directors or joint management committee, and distribution of the number of directors of the board or committee members between the parties, and duties, appointment and dismissal of the general manager and other high-ranking managerial personnel.

(7) Main production facilities and technologies adopted, and their sources of supply.

(8) Arrangement for product sales in and outside China.

(9) Arrangement for the venture's foreign exchange income and expenditure.

(10) The venture's duration, dissolution and liquidation.

(11) Other obligations of all parties and their liabilities for breach of contract.

(12) Principles for handling finance, accounting and auditing.

(13) Settlement of disputes between the parties.

(14) Procedures for modifying the JV contract.

Article 13 The contractual JV articles of association shall include the following items:

(1) Names and address of the venture;

(2) Business scope and cooperation term;

(3) Names, registration localities and addresses of all parties, as well as names, professions and nationalities of the legal representatives ( or name, nationality and address in case the foreign participant is a natural person);

(4) Total amount of investment, registered capital of the venture, ways and time limit for each party to contribute investment or provide cooperation input;

(5) Distribution of earnings or products between all parties and ways to share risks and losses;

(6) Composition, duties and powers, and rules of procedures for the board of directors or the joint management committee, term of office for the directors of the board or committee members, and duties of the chairman, deputy-chairman of the board or the director, deputy-director of the joint management committee;

(7) Formation, duties and powers, and rules of procedures for the operation and management organization, and duties, appointment and dismissal of the general manager and other high-ranking managerial personnel;

(8) Labor management regulations on employment, training, labor contract, salaries, social insurance, welfare and labor protection;

(9) Rules for finance, accounting and auditing;

(10) Ways for dissolution and liquidation;

(11) Procedures for modifying the articles of association.

Chapter III Organizational Formation & Registered Capital

Article 14 The contractual JV that is accorded Chinese legal person status by law is a limited liability company. Unless otherwise stipulated in the contractual JV contract, each party is responsible for the venture within the limit of the investments or cooperation conditions it contributes.

The contractual JV is liable to the venture's debts with all its assets.

Article 15 The total amount of investment of a contractual JV refers to the total sum of capital required by the production and operation scale regulated in the JV contract and articles of association.

Article 16 The registered capital of a contractual JV refers to the total sum of capital agreed to be contributed by all parties and registered with the administrative authorities for industry and commerce for establishing the venture.

 The registered capital can be presented either in RMB or in one freely convertible foreign currency agreed upon by all parties.

The registered capital of a contractual JV shall not be decreased within the term of cooperation. In case it is absolutely necessary to decrease the registered capital because of changes in the total amount of investment and production and operation scale, approval shall be obtained from examination and approval authorities.

Chapter IV Investment & Conditions for Cooperation

Article 17 Each party shall contribute its investment or cooperation input to the contractual JV according to laws, decrees and contractual JV contract.

Article 18 The investment or cooperation input contributed by all parties may be provided in cash or in kind or other property rights such as industrial property rights, technical know-how, land-use rights, etc.

Asset appraisal shall be conducted according to relevant laws and decrees if the investment or cooperation input of the Chinese party is State-owned assets.

In a contractual JV that is accorded by law the status of a Chinese legal person, the foreign party's investment shall generally be no less than 25 percent of the venture's registered capital.

In a contractual JV without the status of a Chinese legal person, specific requirements for investment or cooperation input contributed by each party shall be regulated by Moftec.

Article 19 The investment or cooperation input contributed by each party shall be the property or property right under its ownership, and shall not be mortgaged or set as any other from of guarantee.

Article 20 The contractual JV contract shall set down time limit for all parties to contribute investment or cooperation input according to laws and decrees to meet the venture's operation and production requirements.

In case a party fails to contribute the investment or cooperation input according to the contractual JV contract, the administrative authorities for industry and commerce shall set a time limit for it to fulfill its obligations;

if the aforesaid party still fails to fulfill its obligations upon expiration of the time limit, the examination and approval authorities shall withdraw and nullify the venture's approval certificate, and the administrative authorities for industry and commerce shall revoke the business license and make an annunciation.

Article 21 The party that fails to contribute investment or cooperation input according to the contract JV contract shall be liable for breach of contract to the other party that has made the contribution according the contract.

Article 22 An accountant registered in China shall verify the investment or cooperation input contributed by the parties and issue a verification certificate by which the contractual JV shall issue investment certificates to all parties. The investment certificates shall include the following items:

(1) Name of the contractual JV;

(2) Establishment date of the JV;

(3) Name or each party;

(4) Contents of the investment or cooperation input contributed by each party;

(5) Dates of contribution of the investment or cooperation input by each party;

(6) Serial number and issuing date of the investment certificate.

Copies of the investment certificates shall be put on the record of the examination and approval authorities, and administrative authorities for industry and commerce.

Article 23 In case one party intends to transfer all or part of its rights with the venture to the other party or to the third party, written consent shall be obtained from the other party of the venture, and application shall be filed with the examination and approval authorities.

The examination and approval authorities shall decide whether to approve the application or not within 30 days after receiving transfer documents.