International Investment Agreements: Implications for China (2001)

By William A. Dymond

This paper identifies the international investment issues facing China as it pursues membership in the WTO. Dymond compares China's current investment policies with provisions for international investment in agreements such as NAFTA, indicating that the country's practices have often diverged from existing international investment provisions. China currently finds itself caught between foreign investors and governments in developed countries, which will assess its WTO-readiness in conjunction with its willingness to bring its international investment policies in line with core disciplines, and developing countries, which will pressure China to support their opposition to bringing investment regulations within the scope of the WTO. According to Dymond, China's policies on investment agreements and the WTO will determine the role it will play in the governance of the global economy.