New York Convention enforcement in China
China acceded to the 1958 New York Convention (《承认及执行外国仲裁裁决公约》) in 1987. Awards made in other contracting states can be recognized and enforced by a Chinese intermediate court at the place where the respondent is domiciled or has assets. Review is confined to procedural grounds under Article V — the court does not revisit the merits.
- Application to the competent intermediate court
- Documentary formalities (award, arbitration agreement, certified translations)
- Asset localization before or alongside the application
- Enforcement execution once recognition is granted
The environment is strongly pro-enforcement: in 2024 Chinese courts concluded 42 applications to recognize and enforce foreign arbitral awards with zero refusals. We manage the application, asset tracing and execution end-to-end.