Highlights of draft rules on Civil Code's basic principles

A child picks up a monkey doll for the Year of the Monkey in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, on Feb 6, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

2. Six-year-old children to have limited capacity for civil conducts

Buying soy sauce is a simple civil conduct. But how old does a child need to be to carry out the conduct that is under legal recognition and protection? The current Chinese laws set the lowest age at 10.

Draft: Minors aged between 6 and 18 are persons with limited capacity for civil conducts. They can independently carry out civil acts purely to benefit, or civil acts suitable for their age and intelligence.

Interpretation: Following social and educational development, children aged six have some cognitive and judgment abilities, and they should have the right to do some civil conduct, Wang said. The age change will better protect children's interests.

Children have their own interests, and they are able to decide their behaviors according to their own will, and the adults cannot impose their wills on them, he said. If children do not like the names given by their parents, they could ask for changes.

Other law experts said the age limit change was also due to the country's compulsory education age limit of six.