Enforcement of Awards

China is a party to the New York Convention. An arbitral award may be enforced by application to the intermediate people’s court where the debtor is domiciled or where its assets are situated. The court’s review is limited to the Convention grounds — validity of the arbitration agreement, proper notice, scope of submission, composition of the tribunal and public policy — and does not reopen the merits.

Where the Debtor Is Outside China

If the award debtor has no domicile or assets in the mainland, enforcement must be pursued where the assets are, using the Convention in that jurisdiction. Asset mapping comes first; enforcement follows.

Evidence Outside the Jurisdiction

Chinese courts may obtain evidence abroad through the Hague Evidence Convention, bilateral judicial assistance treaties, or, for arbitrations seated elsewhere, through the tribunal’s own powers and the courts of the seat.