New rules in May 2025: what changes

Several new sets of rules come into force in May 2025. The following is a summary of the main ones and what they change.

1. The revised Marriage Registration Regulations take effect on 10 May 2025

Published on 6 April 2025; in force on 10 May 2025

The Regulations contain six chapters and 28 articles. The main changes are these. First, marriage and family services are expanded: local people's governments at county level and above are to strengthen comprehensive guidance on marriage and family services and build a system of marriage and family counselling, promote civilised marriage customs, foster family harmony and encourage sound views on marriage, childbirth and family. Marriage registration offices are to provide marriage and family counselling, drawing on professionals and other social forces in pre-marital education, relationship counselling and the protection of women's rights. Second, marriage registration may be completed anywhere in the country: the civil affairs department of the State Council is to plan and improve the national marriage information database and, with the relevant bodies, establish information-sharing arrangements so that marriage information is accurate, timely, complete and secure. Third, registration services are to be improved: local governments at county level and above are to take measures to raise standards and to make registration venues more standardised and convenient.

2. These unfair standard terms are all void from 1 May

The Interpretation of the Supreme People's Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Civil Dispute Cases Arising from Prepaid Consumption, recently issued, takes effect on 1 May 2025. It targets the practices consumers complain of most, such as operators taking payments and disappearing, unfair standard terms and refusal to refund, and strengthens consumer protection. The Interpretation has 27 articles and deals with its scope, the persons liable, the interpretation, validity and termination of prepaid consumption contracts, the refund of prepayments and liability to compensate, and the operator's duty to produce evidence within its control.

3. The Rural Collective Economic Organisation Law of the People's Republic of China

Published on 28 June 2024; in force on 1 May 2025

The Law has eight chapters — general provisions, members, organisation and registration, governing bodies, management of property and distribution of income, support measures, dispute resolution and legal liability, and supplementary provisions — and 67 articles. The general provisions confirm that women enjoy rights equal to those of men, and that women's rights and interests in rural collective economic organisations must not be infringed on the ground that a woman is unmarried, married, divorced or widowed, or that the household has no male member. The other content is as follows.

First, the Law establishes the legal status, organisational principles, functions and duties, status as a special legal person and supervising authorities of rural collective economic organisations. Second, drawing on the reform of the rural collective property rights system and on judicial practice and local legislation, it sets out the rules for defining, confirming, withdrawing from and losing membership, and the rights and obligations of members. Third, it provides for registration, merger and division. Fourth, it regulates the governing bodies, setting out the composition, powers, rules of procedure and decision-making of the members' assembly, the members' representative assembly, the council and the supervisory board. Fifth, it provides for the management of property and distribution of income, defining the main categories of collective property and the principles for managing resource, operating and non-operating property, and confirming that the right to income from operating property may be quantified to members. Sixth, it sets out support measures in principle on finance, taxation, credit, land and personnel. Seventh, it establishes mechanisms for resolving disputes and the legal liability of those who breach the Law, including routes for resolving internal disputes, the right of members to bring an action to set aside decisions, and derivative actions by members.

4. The Private Economy Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China: the first basic law devoted to the private economy

Published on 30 April 2025; in force on 20 May 2025

As the first basic law devoted to the development of the private economy, the Law has nine chapters and 78 articles: general provisions, fair competition, promotion of investment and financing, scientific and technological innovation, regulation of business operations, service guarantees, protection of rights and interests, legal liability, and supplementary provisions.

For the first time, the Law writes into legislation the principles of unswervingly consolidating and developing the public sector and unswervingly encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector, and of promoting the healthy development of the private economy and the healthy growth of those who work in it. It sets out the legal status of the private economy for the first time, and states for the first time that promoting the sustained, healthy and high-quality development of the private economy is a major policy the State will maintain in the long term.

The Law provides that the State encourages, supports and guides the development of the private economy in accordance with the law, so that the rule of law better protects the foundations, stabilises expectations and serves the long term. The State adheres to the principles of equal treatment, fair competition, equal protection and common development in promoting the growth of the private economy, and private economic organisations enjoy the same legal status, market opportunities and development rights as other economic organisations.

On fair competition and the promotion of investment and financing, the Law provides that the State operates a unified national negative list for market access. In fields outside the list, all economic organisations, including private ones, may enter on equal terms in accordance with the law. Private economic organisations are supported in taking part in major national strategies and projects, in investing and starting businesses in emerging and future industries, in upgrading traditional industries, and in investing in and building modern infrastructure.

5. The Implementing Rules for the Regulations on the Administration of Religious Activities of Foreigners within the Territory of the People's Republic of China (2025 revision)

Published on 18 January 2025; in force on 1 May 2025

The Implementing Rules have five chapters and 38 articles and further improve the administration of religious activities by foreigners in China. They provide that foreigners in China may take part in religious activities at registered temples, monasteries and churches, may hold collective religious activities there or at approved temporary venues, and may invite Chinese religious personnel to conduct baptisms, weddings, funerals, Taoist rites, Buddhist services and other ceremonies for them. They set out the requirements and procedure for foreigners to apply to hold collective religious activities at temples, monasteries and churches, and the conditions, materials and approval for administrative permits to establish temporary venues. They provide that foreigners conducting religious activities in China must comply with Chinese laws, regulations and rules, respect the principle that Chinese religions run their own affairs independently, and accept administration by the Chinese government in accordance with the law, and must not use religion to harm China's national interests, public interests or the lawful rights of citizens, or to offend Chinese public order and good morals.

6. The Interim Regulations on Express Delivery

Published on 13 April 2025; in force on 1 June 2025

The amendments deal specifically with express packaging, which consumes substantial resources and pollutes the environment, and improve the rules and mechanisms for managing it. They strengthen measures at every stage — design, production, use, recycling and disposal — and clarify the responsibilities of enterprises, government, industry bodies and users.

7. The Provisions on the Administration of the Classification of State Secrets

Adopted at the executive meeting of the National Administration for the Protection of State Secrets on 17 February 2025, promulgated on 18 March 2025 by Order No. 1 of 2025 of the Administration, and in force on 1 May 2025, these Provisions replace the 2014 Interim Provisions and become the core basis for classification work.

The revision clarifies the concepts of original and derivative classification, improves the scope of classified matters, adds special circumstances in which classification authority may be delegated and sets limits on that delegation, adjusts the duties of classification officers, revises the description of supervising bodies, strengthens the requirement for schedules of classified matters, and tightens review and supervision of delegated classification authority.

The Provisions mark a further step towards standardised and scientific classification work in China, which matters both for national security and for the efficient use of information resources.

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