In order to promote the development of e-commerce, on August 28th, 2004, China passed the People's Republic of China (PRC) Electronic Signature Law at the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th NPC, based on the Model Law of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and referring to the legislative experience of other countries, which came into effect on April 28th, 2005.
Electronic signature refers to the data contained in the data message in electronic form and accompanied by data used to identify the identity of the signer and show that the signer approves its content. There are many common technical means to realize electronic signature, including biometric data, digital image of handwritten signature or seal, digital signature based on public key cryptography, etc. Therefore, a reliable electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature or seal.