The Future of Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Exploring China’s Changing Attitude

Du, M; Shen, W

Abstract

The legitimacy of investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) system has come under fire in recent years, and the call for reform or even transformation of global foreign direct investment governance is in vogue, with proposals ranging from incremental improvement of the current system to a radical paradigm shift for a wholesale replacement. Given its economic scale, China’s position in ISDS reform will undoubtedly carry considerable weight in shaping the future of the ISDS system. This chapter intends to map out China’s interaction with the ISDS over the past 30 years as well as explain China’s attitude toward the ongoing ISDS reform. We argue that China’s switch from “light” to more strategic “heavy” engagement with the ISDS goes hand in hand with China’s shifting role from a major capital importing State to a key hybrid regime of capital importing and exporting State. This switching position also matches China’s more ambitious stance to be part of the global economic governance system reform. ISDS reform can be a good opportunity or window for China to voice its ideals in the international investment sphere.

Citation

Du, M., & Shen, W. (2021). The Future of Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Exploring China’s Changing Attitude. In J. Chaisse, L. Choukroune, & S. Jusoh (Eds.), Handbook of international investment law and policy (2483-2506). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3615-7_86

• Online Publication Date: Aug 17, 2021
• Publication Date: Sep 14, 2021
• Deposit Date: Nov 20, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 18, 2023
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Pages: 2483-2506
• Book Title: Handbook of international investment law and policy.
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3615-7_86
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1630142
• Contract Date: Nov 10, 2019