The orientation and characteristics of the inheritance agreement in China and Russia: comparative legal research

Abstract

Recently, great changes have taken place in the inheritance agreement system in China and Russia. Article 1140.1 of CCRF has recognized inheritance agreement in 2019 instead of prohibiting it previously. In China, bequest support agreement is stipulated in legislation, and inheritance attendance agreement is recognized in judicature. Article 464 of the Contract Book of CCPRC of 2020 opens up the legal application of inheritance agreement.
China’s inheritance system has its unique characteristics, for example, there is no difference between estate and legacy, the distinction between testamentary succession and bequest is based on whether the subject has the status of legal successor rather than the disposition of estate or legacy, there is no difference between successio in universumius and successio in singulas res, the heritage debt is the legal burden of positive heritage, heritage debt shall not be disposed of in a will, the bequest shall not be exempted from the heritage debt, there are only legal successors but no heir other than legal successors and testamentary successors are only legal successors who inherit by will, there is no forced share but an absolute necessary share for any successor who has neither the ability to work nor the source of income, and neither inheritance agreement nor gift contract is formal. All of those determine that its inheritance agreement must have many characteristics different from those of Europe.
For example, there is a strict distinction between the bequest support agreement with non legal successor as supporter and the inheritance attendance agreement with legal successor as supporter; there is no inheritance renunciation agreement with valuable consideration positively, but the one with negative consideration that a renunciation of the inheritance right is in exchange for exemption of the specifi c performance of attendance; it is suffi cient that the donatio mortis causa has the effect of gift contract, and it is not necessary to act as the inheritance agreement.
China’s orientation of the inheritance agreement is mainly with consideration and centered on support for the old, while Russia’s orientation is mainly without consideration and centered on the disposition of inheritance right in the designated inheritance agreement. In particular, China and Russia have launched a challenge to the doctrine that the effect of inheritance agreement is prior to that of will.