China's Influence on Non Trade Concerns in International Economic Law

This volume examines the range of Non-Trade Concerns (NTCs) that may conflict with international economic rules and proposes ways to protect them within international law and international economic law. Globalization without local concerns can endanger relevant issues such as good governance, human rights, right to water, right to food, social, economic, cultural and environmental rights, labor rights, access to knowledge, public health, social welfare, consumer interests and animal welfare, climate change, energy, environmental protection and sustainable development, product safety, food safety and security. Focusing on China, the book shows the current trends of Chinese law and policy towards international standards. The authors argue that China can play a leading role in this context: not only has China adopted several reforms and new regulations to address NTCs; but it has started to play a very relevant role in international negotiations on NTCs such as climate change, energy, and culture, among others. While China is still considered a developing country, in particular from the NTCs’ point of view, it promises to be a key actor in international law in general and, more specifically, in international economic law in this respect. This volume assesses, taking into consideration its special context, China’s behavior internally and externally to understand its role and influence in shaping NTCs in the context of international economic law.

Paolo Davide Farah teaches climate change, trade, energy, and environmental law and policy at West Virginia University, USA. He has variously taught classes on public international law, international economic law and WTO law, European law, Comparative law, and Chinese law in Italy, United Kingdom, USA, China, and other countries. He was a Visiting Scholar for the academic year 2011–2012 at Harvard Law School, East Asian Legal Studies Program and a Senior Fellow at the Institute of International Economic Law (IIEL), Georgetown University Law Center, Washington DC, USA. He is Director of Research of gLAWcal – Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (www.glawcal.org.uk) and is Principal Investigator for EU Commission research projects in collaboration with European, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese universities. He is an expert in the interaction between trade, economic globalization, and NTCs, such as sustainable development, energy, environment, and human rights, with a special focus on China and other Asian countries. He has previously worked as an intern at the Legal Affairs Division of the World Trade Organization in Geneva and was an Associate Lawyer of Baker and McKenzie Law Firm, Milan, Italy. He graduated with a Maitrise in International and European Law from Paris Ouest La Defense Nanterre University (France), LLM in European Legal Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium), and a Dual PhD in international law from Aix-Marseille University (France) and University of Milan (Italy).

Elena Cima, PhD candidate in international law at the Graduate Institute of International Law and Development Studies in Geneva, where she also works for the LLM Program in International Law. Her research interests include public international law, international trade law, international environmental law, energy law, and Chinese law. She is a member of the American branch of the International Law Association (ILA), for which she served as reporter. Her publications have focused on international trade law, energy law, and Chinese law and policy. She holds an LLB, honored summa cum laude, from the University of Milan and an LLM degree from Yale Law School.