中国政府于2013年1月16日向联合国秘书长正式交存了有关撤销其在《联合国国际货物销售合同公约》（以下简称“《CISG》”）项下“书面形式”声明的申请，并于2013年8月1日正式生效。至此，中国也与绝大多数《CISG》缔约国一样不再要求国际货物销售合同必须采用书面形式。

    中国撤销其在1986年加入《CISG》时交存的这一特别声明表明其已经允许国际货物销售合同采用自由的合同形式。

   《公约》第11条的规定，“国际货物买卖合同无须以书面形式订立或书面证明，在形式方面不受任何其他条件的限制。销售合同可以用包括人证在内的任何方法证明”。

    我国合同法第10条：当事人订立合同，有书面形式、口头形式和其他形式。法律、行政法规规定采用书面形式的，应当采用书面形式。当事人约定采用书面形式的，应当采用书面形式。第11条规定：书面形式是指合同书、信件和数据电文（包括电报、电传、传真、电子数据交换和电子邮件）等可以有形地表现所载内容的形式。

    撤销书面保留意味着今后中国企业与外国企业达成货物销售合同，不一定必须是书面的，而是可以任何形式达成，包括通过口头或其他某种行为达成。尽管法律上规定订立合同不拘形式，但这不等于任何情况下都无需订立书面合同。建议国际货物买卖合同仍然以书面形式订立为好，特别是那些金额较大、货物复杂的交易或者交易涉及新客户、客户资信欠佳等情况，就更应坚持订立书面合同，而且还要将合同条款订立齐全完备。

    本次撤销保留没有涉及另一项“国际私法保留”，即公约第1.1b规定：本公约适用于营业地在不同国家的当事人之间所订立的货物销售合同：（b）如果国际私法规则导致适用某一缔约国的法律。

China Withdraws "Written Form" Declaration Under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)

http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2013/unisl180.html

VIENNA, 18 January (UN Information Service) - On 16 January, China deposited an instrument with the Secretary-General of the United Nations withdrawing its "written form" declaration under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). With this action, China joins the vast majority of CISG States Parties that do not require the written form for contracts for the international sale of goods. China's action will take effect on 1 August 2013.

Under the CISG, contracts for the international sale of goods do not need to be concluded in writing in order to be valid unless a State deposits a specific declaration to that effect. By withdrawing the declaration it made upon approval of the CISG in 1986, China now accepts the provisions allowing freedom of contractual form. China's action is part of a current trend for States to reconsider declarations made upon acceding to the CISG. Withdrawal of these declarations increases the level of legal uniformity in the scope of application of the convention.

The CISG provides an equitable and modern uniform framework for the contract of sale, which is the backbone of international trade in all countries, irrespective of their legal tradition or level of economic development. The CISG is therefore considered to be one of the core conventions in international trade law.

The CISG, which has been adopted by a large number of major trading countries, establishes a comprehensive code of legal rules governing the formation of contracts for the international sale of goods, the obligations of the buyer and seller, remedies for breach of contract and other aspects of the contract. The CISG currently has 78 State Parties.