Abstract：The Chinese rules on the joint debts of a couple are simple confusing， especially the Article 24 of the Second Judicial Interpretations of the Marriage Law in 2004，which stimulated debates in both jurisprudence and legal professions． In January 2018 the adoption of the Explanations of Debts of Couples has further clarified the standards to establish a couple's joint debts and allocate responsibilities for evidence． At one level， this adoption has responded to the debates and resolved issues related to the joint debts of a couple， though there is still room for debate on certain particular articles． Developing a unified Civil Code in China offers an ideal opportunity to construct rules on couples' joint debts． In essence， the shared debts of the husband and the wife should be joint debts and not debts through relationships， and thus the husband and the wife are one unit to together share the debt responsibilities based on the set criteria and settlement rules． These rules can include the identification of a debt together or by one party at a time with the consent of the other party， who subsequently verifies． Because debts are accumulated，when the couple lives together， either by way of the couple jointly working in a business， or through one party engaging in production and bringing home profit and income that is shared with the other party， the responsibilities for the debts should be shared and managed by the couple together． In case of unsettlement of joint debts or assets owned separately， the two parties should pay off debts based on an agreement． When the couple cannot agree between themselves， the People's Court can make a ruling for the couple to share the debt responsibilities． If one party has paid more than its share or what the court has decided， it can demand compensation from the other party．
