Fa Shi [1999] No. 19(Adopted at the 1090th Meeting of the Trial Committee of the Supreme People's Court on 1 December 1999: Effective as of 29December 1999)(法释〔1999〕19号1999年12月1日最高人民法院审判委员会第1090次会议通过自1999年12月29日起施行)In order to ensure proper trial of cases involving contract disputes, and in accordance with the Contract Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter, "Contract Law"), the following interpretations on certain issues concerning the application of the Contract Law are hereby issued:为了正确审理合同纠纷案件，根据《中华人民共和国合同法》(以下简称合同法)的规定，对人民法院适用合同法的有关问题作出如下解释：I. Scope of Application of the Law一、法律适用范围Article 1Where an action concerning a dispute arising from a contract concluded after the implementation of the Contract Law is filed with a people's court, the provisions of the Contract Law shall apply; in the event of an action concerning a dispute arising from a contract concluded prior to the implementation of the Contract Law, the provisions of the then current law shall apply except where otherwise provided herein, or the relevant provision of the Contract Law may apply in the absence of the provisions of the then current law.第一条合同法实施以后成立的合同发生纠纷起诉到人民法院的，适用合同法的规定；合同法实施以前成立的合同发生纠纷起诉到人民法院的，除本解释另有规定的以外，适用当时的法律规定，当时没有法律规定的，可以适用合同法的有关规定。

Article 2Where a contract was concluded prior to the implementation of the Contract Law, but the time period for performance specified in the contract extends beyond the date of implementation, or commences after the implementation, of the Contract Law, a dispute arising from the performance of the contract shall be governed by the relevant provisions of Chapter Four of the Contract Law.第二条合同成立于合同法实施之前，但合同约定的履行期限跨越合同法实施之日或者履行期限在合同法实施之后，因履行合同发生的纠纷，适用合同法第四章的有关规定。

Article 3With respect to the determination of the validity of a contract concluded prior to the implementation of the Contract Law, if application of the then current law leads to the invalidation of the contract, but application of the Contract Law leads to the affirmation of its validity, the People's Court shall apply the Contract Law.第三条人民法院确认合同效力时，对合同法实施以前成立的合同，适用当时的法律合同无效而适用合同法合同有效的，则适用合同法。

Article 4To invalidate a contract after the implementation of the Contract Law, a people's court shall make the determination on the basis of the laws adopted by the National People's Congress or its Standing Committee and the administrative regulations adopted by the State Council, rather than on local regulations or local administrative rules.第四条合同法实施以后，人民法院确认合同无效，应当以全国人大及其常委会制定的法律和国务院制定的行政法规为依据，不得以地方性法规、行政规章为依据。

Article 5Where a people's court conducts retrial of a case on which a final ruling has been rendered prior to the implementation of the Contract Law, the Contract Law shall not apply.第五条人民法院对合同法实施以前已经作出终审裁决的案件进行再审，不适用合同法。

II. Limitation of Action二、诉讼时效Article 6Where the infringement of the right of a party concerned in a technical contract dispute occurs prior to the implementation of the Contract Law, a people's court shall not grant protection if the time period is more than one year between the date on which the party knows, or should have known, of the infringement of the right and the date of the implementation of the Contract Law; if such time period is less than one year, the time limit for the party to institute an action shall be two years.第六条技术合同争议当事人的权利受到侵害的事实发生在合同法实施之前，自当事人知道或者应当知道其权利受到侵害之日起至合同法实施之日超过一年的，人民法院不予保护；尚未超过一年的，其提起诉讼的时效期间为二年。

Article 7Where the infringement of the right of a party concerned in a dispute arising from a contract for technology import and export occurs prior to the implementation of the Contract Law, a people's court shall not grant protection if the time period is more than two years between the date on which the party knows, or should have known, of the infringement of the right and the date of the implementation of the Contract Law; if such time period is less than two years, the time limit for the party to institute an action shall be four years.第七条技术进出口合同争议当事人的权利受到侵害的事实发生在合同法实施之前，自当事人知道或者应当知道其权利受到侵害之日起至合同法施行之日超过二年的，人民法院不予保护；尚未超过二年的，其提起诉讼的时效期间为四年。

Article 8The time period of "one year" specified in Article 55 of the Contract Law and the time period of "five years" specified in Article 75 and Paragraph 2 of Article 104 of the Contract Law are fixed, and shall not be subject to the provisions on the suspension, discontinuance or extension of the period of limitation of action.第八条合同法第五十五条规定的“一年”、第七十五条和第一百零四条第二款规定的“五年”为不变期间，不适用诉讼时效中止、中断或者延长的规定。