This article makes a major contribution to the emerging Belt and Road Initiative scholarship (and international economic law) by highlighting that (i)China’s existing investment treaty network along the Belt and Road is dated, (ii) many or most of those treaties include Most Favored Nation...

The efficacy of the World Trade Organization (WTO), as an international forum seeking to provide a uniform platform to Member States for bilateral and multilateral negotiations and further the spirit of a new international economic legal order, is challenged constantly. This article explains how...

This Perspective probes the complexities of umbrella clauses in international investment agreements, spotlighting their inherent legal ambiguities and potential for misuse. It advocates for careful negotiation and refinement of these clauses or, alternatively, their elimination to ensure...

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an agreed blueprint for sustainable development, and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the means to facilitate this. The SDGs neither conflict with nor hinder taxation or investment policies. At the same time, the globalization of...

This article analyses dispute resolution in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from the perspective of the debate on unity, diversity and fragmentation of international law. This article presents a critical perspective that although the BRI preaches unity through greater economic (and...

This Perspective probes the complexities of umbrella clauses in international investment agreements, spotlighting their inherent legal ambiguities and potential for misuse. It advocates for careful negotiation and refinement of these clauses or, alternatively, their elimination to ensure...

Brunei Darussalam is a small open economy gifted with important oil resources which make it the second richest Southeast Asian economy after Singapore. Like all resource-rich countries, its main challenge is to diversify its activities to prepare for a post-oil sustainable economy. Attracting...

The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment is China's first treaty with a section dedicated to sustainable development and labor regulations. It introduces major innovations such as ensuring corporate due diligence to end forced labor, among others. This significant development aims to...

Can countries fulfill their obligations under international environmental agreements in the presence of international investment agreements or vice versa? This Perspective offers recommendations for arbitrators and countries to harmonize their climate goals and investment obligations by moving...