从首例公海邮轮侵权案看最密切联系原则的新发展

The New Development of the Principle of the Most Significant Relationship from the First China s Cruise Tort Case on High Seas

“蓝宝石公主”号案表明:《中华人民共和国涉外民事关系法律适用法》(以下简称《适用法》)第44条在遭遇特殊涉外侵权纠纷时会出现整体落空风险,倒逼我国法院依据“最密切联系原则”确定准据法,然而该原则在我国司法实践中却面临着诸多适用困境。对此,有必要思考最密切联系原则的立法完善问题。当前最密切联系原则之立法必要性在于:追求法律适用灵活性和确定性之会通、承担冲突法正义矫正器之功能、符合侵权冲突法的国际立法趋势。建议中国国际私法典编纂侵权冲突法一般规则部分,可在《适用法》第44条的基础上,结合罗马Ⅱ第4条第3款之规定,将最密切联系原则作为侵权行为地法和共同经常居所地法之例外条款。

The Sapphire Princess case shows that the general rule of application of law for foreign-related torts in the Article 44 of the Law of Application of Law for Foreign-related Civil Relations of the People s Republic of China(Hereinafter referred to as Application of Law)will fall through the whole when faced with special foreign-related torts disputes,forcing the Chinese court to identify the applicable law according to the principle of the most significant relationship.However,this principle faces many dilemmas of application in China s judicial practice.Therefore,it is necessary to consider the issue of legislative perfection of the principle of the most significant relationship.The legislative necessity of the principle of the most significant relationship lies in pursuing the flexibility and certainty of the application of law,assuming the function of the justice corrector of conflict of law as well as conforming to the international legislative trend of conflict of torts law.It is suggested that Chinese International Private Code codify the general rules of Conflict of torts law,on the basis of Article 44 of the Law of Application and in combination with the provisions of Article 4,paragraph 3 of RomeⅡ,the most significant relationship is an exception to the law of the place of tort and the law of common habitual residence.