On 21 September 2026, the Supreme People's Court issued the judicial interpretation 《最高人民法院关于审理涉及刑事犯罪的民事纠纷案件若干问题的规定》. source The interpretation, adopted by the Supreme People's Court Judicial Committee on 25 August 2025, establishes rules for accepting and hearing civil disputes that involve the same or related facts as criminal cases. source It clarifies that civil actions may proceed separately from criminal proceedings in six enumerated scenarios and will take effect on 22 September 2026. source
Who is affected
Because this is a central-level national judicial rule, parties nationwide involved in civil litigation linked to criminal conduct—including enterprises, insurers, guarantors, and contract counterparties—will be directly affected by the new framework for parallel and suspended proceedings. source
What to do
Review pending and prospective civil claims to determine whether they fall within Article 3’s six non-identical-fact scenarios—such as entity liability for an employee’s criminal act, guarantor liability when the principal debtor’s conduct constitutes a crime, or insurance claims arising from criminal torts—because courts must accept and hear these civil cases separately from criminal proceedings. source
Ensure that litigation counsel coordinate with courts when related civil and criminal cases are pending before different tribunals, as the rules require courts to share case information, status updates, and judgments. source
Do not assume a civil case will automatically be suspended merely because a criminal case has been filed; instead, assess whether the civil case’s basic-fact determination actually depends on the criminal ruling before applying for or opposing a stay. source
Key dates
25 August 2025: The rule was adopted at the 1955th meeting of the Supreme People's Court Judicial Committee. source
21 September 2026: The Supreme People's Court published the rule. source
22 September 2026: The rule enters into force. source