Small claim and summary procedure in China

Abstract

In Mainland China, summary procedure is procedure applied at the first instance by basic-level courts and their detached tribunals. As simplified formal procedure, summary procedure can be classified into three types: 1) general / mandatory summary procedure, which is applied to cases with clear facts, unambiguous rights and obligations and minor disputes; 2) consensus procedure, which is applied to cases other than those to which mandatory summary procedure is applied, with the parties’ agreement on the application; 3) special summary procedure, which is ‘small claim procedure’ applied to cases involving amounts lower than 30 percent of the previous year’s average annual wages of workers in a given province and the judgment of the basic-level court or detached tribunal shall be final.