《联合国国际货物销售合同公约》对于香港的适用——实践分歧、法律分析与政策选择

The Application of CISG to the Hong Kong SAR ——Practice Divergence,Legal Analysis and Policy Option

香港回归之后是否适用CISG是一个具有重要现实意义的法律问题。中国政府致函联合国秘书长的《照会》并没有解决这一问题。在实践中,CISG已经并将继续被以不同方式适用于香港当事人与其他法域当事人之间的货物销售合同。中国政府迄今并没有根据CISG第93条作出正式有效的声明,因此,CISG应该适用于香港。但是,学说和判例对于CISG是否适用于香港却存在着严重分歧和不一致性。这损害了涉港国际货物销售合同法律规则的统一,也不利于香港对外贸易的繁荣与发展。中国中央政府应该征询香港政府意见,根据CISG第93条提交符合条件的正式声明,明确CISG是否适用于香港。根据香港在世界贸易中的地位和香港贸易伙伴在CISG中的地位,香港应该同意适用CISG。基于中国大陆与香港之间贸易关系的重要地位和法律的不统一,中国大陆与香港之间也应该创造性地达成法律安排以适用CISG。

It is a very important problem whether CISG will apply to Hong Kong SAR after its return.The Chinese note of 20 June 1997 to the UN Secretary General doesn’t effectively clarify and settle this problem.In practice,CISG has been applied to sale of goods contracts between parties one of which has its place of business in Hong Kong SAR in various ways.Under CISG § 93,China has not made such strictly effective declaration until now,and CISG should apply to Hong Kong SAR.However,there arise serious differences and obvious inconsistency among doctrines and cases in different jurisdictions or even in the same jurisdiction.Such divergence has done harm to the unification of international sale of goods law,and it also hannful to the prosperity and development of Hong Kong SAR’s foreign trade.After consulting Hong Kong SAR government,Chinese government should make unambiguous declaration strictly conforming to CISG §93, expressing its intentwhether CISG should apply to Hong Kong SAR.Considering Hong Kong plays a very important pole in world trade and most of its trade partners have become the Parties to CISG,it is wise for China to extend the application CISG to Hong Kong SAR.In addition,due to more and more increasing trade relations and legal differences between China's Mainland and Hong Kong SAR,Central Chinese government and Hong Kong SAR government should make creative arrangement so that CISG can apply to Hong Kong SAR.