Introduction

Barely a week ago on December 29, 2023, China’s legislative body passed and President Xi Jinping signed into law the newly revised Company Law, effective from July 1, 2024 (the “New Law”). It makes a big splash to the business community for both the law’s as-pillar significance, and the striking degree of revisions (over a quarter of provisions are involved with major changes). The New Law will bring about a broad spectrum of changes comprising shareholder capital contribution, shareholders’ rights protection, company capital system, corporate governance, company registration, company financing, etc., which may make even just a spreadsheet of bulletin points run dozens of pages long.

At Han Kun, we prioritize our clients’ interests and aim to provide more than just prompt advice. Consequently, we wish to delve deeper into the New Law, decipher the legal changes most pertinent to you, and underscore the implications that demand your attention.

The U-turn in shareholders’ capital contribution obligation

I. Shortened contribution deadline

The 2013 and 2014 revisions of the Company Law transitioned from the registered capital payment registration system to a subscribed capital registration system, eliminating statutory requirements for contribution deadlines, minimum registered capital, and initial contribution ratios. However, the New Law introduces provisions specifying deadlines for limited liability company shareholders to fully pay subscribed capital within five years from the company’s establishment date. Founding shareholders of a joint-stock company must fully pay the capital upon its establishment. For existing companies predating the New Law’s effective date, adjustments to deadlines are required, and the registration authority can demand timely adjustments if abnormal contribution deadlines or amounts are identified. Implementation rules for such existing companies will be formulated by the State Council.

II. Revocation of shareholder status

The New Law establishes a shareholder disqualification system for limited liability companies. If a shareholder fails to pay the contribution in full and on time, the company issues a written payment demand with a grace period of no less than sixty days. If, by the end of this period, the shareholder fails to fulfill the contribution obligation, the company, through a board resolution, can issue a disqualification notice. From the notice date, the shareholder loses rights to the unpaid contributions.

III. Added obligation of accelerated capital contribution

The New Law introduces a provision on the accelerated maturity of a limited liability company’s shareholder contribution obligations. The triggering event, “the company cannot repay the due debts,”is much less restrictive than the current legal conditions1 for such obligation acceleration. In the future, a shareholder could face demands from the company or any creditor with unpaid debts, even if the payment schedule is not yet due.

IV. Expanded legal responsibilities

The New Law stipulates that when a limited liability company is established, if a shareholder fails to make full payment, other shareholders at the time will be jointly liable within the scope of the insufficient contribution. Additionally, supplementary liability is imposed on the former shareholder who has transferred shares to a buyer that later fails to make a full capital contribution to those shares. Joint liabilities are also applicable to the purchasing shareholder who bought shares from a former shareholder that failed to make a sufficient capital contribution on time.

The following diagram may illustrate the possible consequences of a shareholder’s underpayment of capital contribution to a limited liability company:

Shareholder
fails to
make
capital
contribution
in full
Consequences Trigger Exemplification Index of the New Law
Shareholder is disqualified Demand must be served on time by the board, who otherwise will be subject to liability to compensate the company for the loss. Nil Article 51 and 52
Shareholder to indemnify for company’s loss Company, company officers, eligible shareholders or creditors can make demand. Nil Article 49
Other shareholders’ joint liability for the underpaid amount Company, company officers or creditors all have ground to demand. Nil Article 50 and 99
Shareholder is
obliged to
accelerate capital
payment
Any creditors can
initiate it if the
company cannot
repay the due
debts.
A former employee who
disputes with the company
for alleged unpaid benefit,
may, other than sue the
company itself, take the
shareholder to court to
require expedited capital
contribution. Action or threat.
Article 54
Selling
shareholder is
subject to
supplemental
liability for buyer’s
later insufficient
payment on time.
Company,
company officers,
eligible
shareholders or
creditors can
make demand.
A transferred shares
pertained with unpaid but onschedule capital contribution
to B. B later fails to make
contribution on time. A
creditor sues the company
which in turn sues A to
demand the unpaid amount
by B even if by then A has
long stopped being a
shareholder.
Article 88
Purchasing
shareholder is
subject to joint
liability for seller’s
previous
insufficient
payment on time.
Company,
company officers,
eligible
shareholders or
creditors can
make demand.
A bought shares with
insufficiently paid capital from
B. The company’s board, to
avoid liability on its own,
resolves to sue A and B to
bear joint liability for the
unpaid capital amount.
Article 88

Despite the clarity provided by this diagram, uncertainties persist, particularly regarding how existing companies should transition for full compliance with the New Law. At this stage, we recommend existing foreign-invested enterprises with unpaid registered capital to assess the remaining contribution amount and adjust the timing accordingly. It is crucial to monitor subsequent legislative developments from regulatory authorities and formulate appropriate response plans. For newly established enterprises post the New Law’s enactment, investors should carefully consider contribution deadline requirements aligned with initial business development plans, establishing a reasonable initial registered capital to mitigate risks of inability to fulfill contribution obligations. Ultimately, resolutions can be sought through subsequent capital increases.

More responsibilities falling on company officers

Under China’s Company Law, the company officers consist of, mainly, director, senior executives and supervisors. Their personal liability have long been a focal point for foreign investors. Generally, the personal liability of such officers includes: (i) civil liability arising from breaches of fiduciary duties and unauthorized representation; (ii) administrative penalties and even criminal liability for directors and executives who hold relevant positions in the company or serve as key responsible persons in areas where the company violates significant compliance obligations (such as safety production, environmental protection); and (iii) directors participating in or driving decisions related to the company’s criminal or irregular activities may be deemed to play a certain role in the “decision, approval, or instigation” of the company’s actions and may be required to assume personal responsibility.

The New Law in this instance places a strong emphasis on the fiduciary and diligent duties of directors, supervisors, and senior management, adding administrative penalties beyond civil compensation. We summarize the main provisions, the implications and our recommendations as follows:

  Summary Implication Recommendation Index of the
New Law
General
Provisions of
Fiduciary
Duties
Fiduciary duty requires
directors, supervisors, and
senior executives to take
measures to avoid conflicts
of interest with the company
and not to use their powers
to seek undue benefits.
Diligent duty requires them
to perform their duties for the
maximum benefit of the
company with the
reasonable care that a
manager should normally
exercise.
The New Law
facilitates
claims against
company
officers for
alleged
breaches of
fiduciary duties.
Nil Article 80
Specific
Responsibilities
and Liabilities
Directors held indemnifiable
for failing to verify
shareholder capital
contribution and make timely
demands for payment.
Verification of
shareholders’
capital
contribution
and serve
demand notice
become
essential.
Verification and
demand notices
become essential.
Directors should
regularly verify
contributions and
issue written
payment demands
when necessary.
Article 51
and 53
  Officers may be fined for
shareholders’ embezzlement
of contributions after
company establishment.
In cases of
embezzlement,
directly
responsible
executives
(such as
directors and
senior
management)
may not only be
subject to civil compensation
liability but also
face
administrative
penalty risks.
Officers should
avoid involvement
in embezzlement
due to willful
misconduct or
gross negligence.
Article 53
and 252
  A series of procedural
requirements for the
reduction of registered
capital by companies is
added. If a company
reduced registered capital in
violation, directors and
supervisors with
responsibilities should
compensate the company’s
loss.
The New Law
opens door to
directors and
supervisors’
liabilities under
this
circumstance
while also
creating safe
harbors for
them to avoid
liabilities by
following all
necessary
procedures.
Directors and
supervisors should
familiarize
themselves with
the latest
requirements of
the New Law
regarding the
procedures of
company’s capital
reduction.
Article 226
  If the company or its
subsidiaries provide financial
assistance for others to
acquire its shares, resulting
in losses to the company, the
responsible directors and
senior executives should
compensate the company
for its loss.
The New Law,
departing from
the current law,
allows financial
assistance to
other parties to
purchase the
company or its
parent
companies
equity interests.
Such
assistance
should be done
The revised law
introduces
significant
changes, and
officers should be
vigilant in adhering
to their expanded
responsibilities to
avoid potential
liabilities.
Article 163
  The revised law introduces
significant changes, and
officers should be vigilant in
adhering to their expanded
responsibilities to avoid
potential liabilities.
Directors and
supervisors
may be subject
to liability if they
are involved
with or fail to
evidently
oppose to
shareholders’
abuse of power.
Directors should
avoid knowingly
participating in
improper profit
distributions and
record opposition
with proof.
Article 211
  Liquidators modified to be
company directors with
clarified compensation
liability. 
Directors’
familiarity with
day-to-day
operations
makes them
suitable
liquidators, but
failure may lead
to personal
compensation
liability.
Nil Article 232
  New administrative penalties
for the directly responsible
executives if the company
fails to publicize or falsely
publicizes relevant
information.
Nil  Nil Article 251
  Individuals classified as
dishonest debtors by the
People’s Court not eligible
for company officers.
Nil  Nil  Article 178
  Shareholders gain the right
to sue officers of wholly-owned subsidiaries.
Strengthens
investor
protection by
holding officers
of subsidiaries
accountable.
Nil  Article 189
  Officers liable for harm
caused during duty if found
with willful misconduct or
gross negligence.
Expands
indemnification
to include
responsible
company
officers.
Nil  Article 191
  Reporting and approval
requirements for officers
involved in contracts or
transactions with the
company.
Nil  Nil  Article 139
and 182

Special attention should be given to the inclusion of “Actual Director” and “Shadow Director” in the law. Articles 180 and 192 of the New Law provide that the “Controlling Shareholder” or “Actual Controller”, even if not the company’s officers, shall be subject to the same fiduciary duties as company officers if they actually perform corporate duties. They shall also be jointly liable with the company’s officers who are instructed by such “Controlling Shareholder” or “Actual Controller” and thus harm the company or shareholders’ interests. These provisions have two key implications: (i) simply not being the documented officers, the direct or indirect controllers of a company may not be safer and free of legal responsibilities and the correlated liabilities if they are actually involved in the company’s decision-making; and (ii) under the New Law, claims may be made against them by the company, other shareholders, company officers, and through surrogated litigation, any creditors of the company as well.

Significant changes in corporate governance

I. Greater flexibility in allocation of corporate powers

  • The statutory powers of the shareholders’ meeting have been reduced, and certain matters previously reserved for the shareholders’ meeting can now be decided by the board of directors or management based on the actual situation of the company (Article 59);
  • Beyond the enumerated powers of the board of directors, the shareholders’ meeting can explicitly grant additional powers to the board of directors, including authorizing the board of directors to make decisions on “issuing corporate bonds” (Article 59);
  • The exemplary list of the manager’s powers has been removed, and thus the manager’s authority is entirely subject to the company’s articles of association and the agreements of the board of directors (Article 74).

After this revision, decisions on “company’s operational policies and investment plans” and “review and approval of the company’s annual financial budget and final accounts” are no longer mandatory for the shareholders’ meeting. The New Law provides companies with more operational space, enabling them to allocate powers among the shareholders’ meeting, board of directors, and managers based on their specific needs. This adjustment is particularly beneficial for foreign-invested enterprises, aligning with international corporate governance practices that focus on the board’s role in significant operational and investment decisions.

II. Enhanced democratic management measures for employees

The New Law mandates companies to establish a democratic management system, primarily through the employee congress. Unlike the current Company Law, which defines appointment requirements based on the background of the investing state-owned assets, the New Law specifies that for a limited liability company with more than three hundred employees, except it has set up a supervisory board with at least one sitting employee supervisor, it must involve at least one employee director to its board.Therefore, even for non-state-owned foreign wholly-owned enterprises or limited liability companies formed as joint ventures, if they meet the aforementioned employee threshold, they may need to appoint employee directors. At the same time, companies need to be aware that such requirements may have potential impacts on the structure of board seats, and reasonable arrangements should be made in advance.

III. Permitted absence of supervisory board or supervisors

The New Law clearly states that smaller-scale limited liability companies and joint-stock companies can choose not to have a supervisory board, appoint one supervisor, or not have supervisors at all. Under the New Law, a limited liability company can establish an audit committee composed of directors to exercise the powers of the supervisory board (Article 69), without having a supervisory board or supervisors. Smaller-scale or fewer-shareholder limited liability companies may not need to have a supervisory board and can appoint one supervisor to exercise the powers of the supervisory board; with unanimous agreement of all shareholders, they can also choose not to have supervisors (Article 83).

 

The New Law introduces flexibility in the presence of supervisory boards and supervisors, allowing companies to tailor their governance structures to their specific needs. This aligns with contemporary practices and provides companies with greater adaptability.

In summary, the latest amendment to China’s corporate legislation introduces significant changes, shaping the legal framework for businesses. While providing opportunities for improved governance and transparency, these changes also warrant careful consideration and adaptation. As we navigate this evolving legal landscape, our legal team remains dedicated to guiding you through these modifications and addressing any concerns or questions you may have. We appreciate your ongoing partnership and are here to ensure your business is well-prepared for the implications of these revisions.

Important Announcement

This Legal Commentary has been prepared for clients and professional associates of Han Kun Law Offices. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for errors and omissions, however caused. The information contained in this publication should not be relied on as legal advice and should not be regarded as a substitute for detailed advice in individual cases.

If you have any questions regarding this publication, please contact:

Ray SHI
Tel: +86 10 8560 6499
Email: lei.shi@hankunlaw.com

1 I.e., valid reasons exist for the company to go bankruptcy without it initiating the process, and shareholders extend their capital contribution schedule in response to the company incurring debt.