Article 1 This Law is formulated for the purposes of regulating the organization and operation of companies, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of companies, shareholders and creditors, maintaining the socialist economic order, and promoting the development of the socialist market economy

 Article 2 The term "company" as mentioned in this Law refers to a limited liability company or a joint stock limited company established within the territory of the People's Republic of China in accordance with the provisions of this law.

 Article 3 A company is an enterprise legal person, which has independent legal person property and enjoys the property right of the legal person. And it shall bear the liabilities for its debts with all its property. As for a limited liability company, the shareholders shall be responsible for the company to the extent of the capital contributions they have paid. As for a joint stock limited company, the shareholders shall be responsible for the company to the extent of the shares they have subscribed for.

 Article 4 The shareholders of a company shall be entitled to enjoy the capital proceeds, participate in making important decisions, choose managers, and so on.

 Article 5 When undertaking business operations, a company shall comply with the laws and administrative regulations, social morality and business morality. It shall act in good faith, accept the supervision of the government and the general public, and bear social responsibilities.

The legitimate rights and interests of a company shall be protected by laws and may not be infringed.

 Article 6 For the incorporation of a company, an application for incorporation shall be filed with the company registration authority. If the application meets the requirements of this Law, the company registration authority shall register the company as a limited liability company or a joint stock limited company. If the application fails to meet the requirements, it shall not be registered as a limited liability company or a joint stock limited company.

If any law or administrative regulation stipulates that the incorporation of a company shall be subject to approval, the relevant approval formalities shall be gone through prior to the registration of the company.  

The general public may consult the relevant matters on company registration at company registration authority, who shall provide consulting services.

 Article 7 For a legally established company, the company registration authority shall issue the company business license to it, and the date of issuance of the company business license shall be the date of incorporation of the company. The company business license shall state the name, domicile, registered capital, paid-up capital, scope of business, the name of the legal representative and etc. If any of the items as stated in the business license is changed, the company shall apply for modification registration, and the company registration authority shall re new the business license.

 Article 8 For a limited liability company established according to this Law, it shall indicate in its name with the words "limited liability company" or "limited company". For a joint stock limited company established according to this Law, it shall indicate in its name the words "joint stock limited company" or "joint stock company".

 Article 9 The change of a limited liability company to a joint stock limited company shall satisfy the requirements as prescribed in this Law for joint stock limited companies. The change of a joint stock limited company to a limited liability company shall meet the conditions as prescribed in this Law for limited liability companies. Under any of the aforesaid circumstances, the creditor's rights and debts of the company prior to the change shall be succeeded by the company after the change.

 Article 10 A company shall regard the location of its principal office as its domicile.

 Article 11 The company established according to this law shall formulate its articles of association which are binding on the company, its shareholders, directors, supervisors and senior managers.

 Article 12 The company's scope of business shall be defined in its articles of association and shall be registered according to law. The company may change its scope of business by modifying its articles of association, but shall go through the modification registration. If the company’s scope of business covers any item subject to approval according to laws or administrative regulations, the approval shall be obtained beforehand.

 Article 13 The legal representative of a company shall, according to the provisions of its articles of association, be assumed by the chairman of the board of directors, executive director or manager, and shall be registered according to law. If the legal representative of the company is changed, the company shall go through the modification registration.

 Article 14 The company may set up branches. To set up a branch, the company shall file a registration application with the company registration authority, and shall obtain the business license. The branch shall not enjoy the status of an enterprise legal person, and its civil liabilities shall be born by the company.

The company may set up subsidiaries which enjoy the status of an enterprise legal person and shall be independently bear civil liabilities 

 Article 15 A company may invest in other enterprises. However, it shall not become a capital contributor that shall bear the joint liabilities for the debts of the enterprises it invests in, unless it is otherwise provided for by any law.

 Article 16 Where a company intends to invest in any other enterprise or provide guarantee for others, it shall, according to the provisions of its articles of association, be decided at the meeting of the board of directors or shareholders’s meeting or shareholders' assembly. If the articles of association prescribe any limit on the total amount of investments or guarantees, or on the amount of a single investment or guarantee, the aforesaid total amount or amount shall not exceed the responsive limited amount. If a company intends to provide guarantee to a shareholder or actual controller of the company, it shall make a resolution through the shareholder's meeting or shareholders' assembly.  

The shareholder as mentioned in the preceding paragraph or the shareholder dominated by the actual controller as mentioned in the preceding paragraph shall not participate in voting on the matter as mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Such matter requires the affirmative votes of more than half of the other shareholders attending the meeting.

 Article 17 The company shall protect the lawful rights and interests of its employees, conclude employment contracts with the employees, buy social insurances, strengthen labor protection so as to realize safe production.

The company shall, in various forms, reinforce the vocational education and in-service training of its employees so as to improve their professional quality.

 Article 18 The employees of a company shall, according to the Labor Union Law of the People's Republic of China, organize a labor union, which shall carry out union activities and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of the employees. The company shall provide necessary conditions for its labor union to carry out activities. The labor union shall, on behalf of the employees, conclude the collective contract with the company with respect to the remuneration, working hours, welfare, insurance, operation safety and sanitation and other matters.

According to the Constitution and other relevant laws, a company shall implement democratic management in the form of meeting of the representatives of the employees or any other ways.

 

To make a decision on restructuring or any important issue related to business operation, or to formulate any important regulation, a company shall solicit the opinions of its labor union, and shall solicit the opinions and proposals of the employees through the meeting of the representatives of the employees or in any other way.

 Article 19 An organization of the Chinese Communist Party shall, according to the Charter of the Chinese Communist Party, be established in the company to carry out activities of the Chinese Communist Party. And the company shall provide necessary conditions for the activities of the Chinese Communist Party.

 Article 20 The shareholders of a company shall comply with the laws, administrative regulations and articles of association, and shall exercise the shareholder's rights according to law. None of them may injure any of the interests of the company or of other shareholders by abusing the shareholder's rights, or injure the interests of any creditor of the company by abusing the independent status of legal person or the shareholder's limited liabilities.

Where any of the shareholders of a company causes any loss to the company or to other shareholders by abusing the shareholder's rights, it shall be subject to compensation.

Where any of the shareholders of a company evades the payment of its debts by abusing the independent status of legal person or the shareholder's limited liabilities, and thus seriously damages the interests of any creditor, it shall bear joint liabilities for the debts of the company.

 Article 21 Neither the holding shareholder, nor the actual controller, any of the directors, supervisors or senior managers of the company may injure the interests of the company by taking advantage of its connection relationship. Anyone who has caused any loss to the company due to violation of the preceding paragraph shall be subject to compensation.

 Article 22 The resolution of the shareholders' meeting, shareholders’s assembly or board of directors of the company that has violated any law or administrative regulation shall be null and void.

Where the procedures for convoking and the voting form of a shareholders' meeting or shareholders’s assembly or meeting of the board of directors, violate any law, administrative regulation or the articles of association, or the resolution is in violation of the articles of association of the company, the shareholders may, within 60 days as of the day when the resolution is made, request the people's court to revoke it.

If the shareholders initiate a lawsuit according to the preceding paragraph, the people's court shall, in light of the request of the company, demand the shareholders to provide corresponding guarantee. 

Where a company has, in light of the resolution of the shareholders' meeting,  shareholders’s assembly or meeting of the board of directors, completed the modification registration, and the people's court declares the resolution null and void or revoke the resolution, the company shall file an application with the company registration authority for cancelling the modification registration.