国际惯例适用规则的立法范式研究——以我国司法实践为出发点

On the Legislative Paradigm for the Application Rules of International Usages

作为一种跨国法律规则,国际惯例发挥着跨国商事“自治法”的功能,被称为“第三种法律秩序”,其重要性自不待言。在我国,国际惯例最基本的立法范式是原民法通则中的补缺适用。然而,随着民法通则的废止以及民法典中相关规则的缺失,国际惯例的适用规则在我国出现了立法空白。司法实践中,国际惯例也并非仅在中国法没有规定时方能适用,还存在着当事人约定适用和直接适用等多种情形。尽管当事人约定适用在司法实践中占绝对多数,但我国现行法并没有规定当事人可以约定适用国际惯例。鉴此,国际惯例的立法范式应从传统单一范式向复合范式转变:一是将当事人意思自治确立为国际惯例适用的首要原则,不管当事人明示约定还是默示约定,国际惯例均可以成为确定权利义务的依据;二是将补缺适用列为次要原则,即中国法律和中国缔结或者参加的国际条约没有规定的,可以适用国际惯例。对于此复合范式,可适时修订涉外民事关系法律适用法,使之成为正式的国际惯例适用规则。此外,对于具有与《跟单信用证统一惯例》类似特质的国际惯例,可以采纳最高人民法院司法解释认可的模式即“UCP模式”,赋予其“法律性”,使其具有直接适用性。

As transnational legal norms,international usages serve as the“autonomous law”of transnational commerce and have been referred to as the“third legal order”to highlight their importance.In China,the fundamental legislative framework for international usages is the gap-filling application provided by the General Principles of the Civil Law(GPCL).However,with the abolition of the GPCL and the absence of relevant rules in the Civil Code,a legislative void emerges in the applicable rules of international usages.In judicial practice,international usages are not only applicable in the absence of relevant provisions in Chinese law but can also be applied by agreement of the parties or through direct application.However,current Chinese law does not specifically address party agreements on the application of international usages,thus the legislative paradigm of international usages should be changed from a singular paradigm to a composite one.Firstly,the principle of party autonomy should be established as the primary basis for the application of international usages,thereby allowing the parties to determine their rights and obligations on the basis of their explicit or implied choices.Secondly,gap-filling application should be recognized as a secondary principle,permitting the application of international usages in cases where there is no applicable provision in Chinese law and international treaties concluded or acceded to by China.China may revise the Law on Choice of Law for Foreign-related Civil Relationships to formalize this composite paradigm as the legal norm governing the application of international usages.Furthermore,for international usages exhibiting qualities similar to those of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits(“UCP”),which is recognized by the Supreme People's Court of China in its judicial interpretation,adopting the“UCP model”as a legally binding framework would confer them a“legal”character and enable them to have direct applicability.