The Pandemic and Investment Law: a Good or Bad Coincidence?

Global Network

Watch the recording

Agenda 

 

About this event

The China International Business and Economic Law (CIBEL) Centre hosted the 2020 CIBEL Global Network Conference virtual panel sessions. The conference was dedicated to research on the urging issues in the international business and economic law field with the theme of “COVID-19 and international economic law: China and a changing world”.

The topic of this session was “The pandemic and investment law: a good or bad coincidence?” and was led by CIBEL member Dr Lu Wang. This 90-minute online session was live-streamed and open to registered audiences. The session was made up of presentations and Q&As. Audiences were able to ask questions.

Abstract 

The COVID-19 pandemic is strongly affecting foreign investment and is likely to have lasting effects on investment law and policy making. Numerous states have taken investment policy measures to tackle unprecedented pandemic and its economic and social fallouts. How has the pandemic changed the rules on foreign investment? What impact will these changes have on the existing investment treaty regime? What are the implications for the post-pandemic investment policymaking? This session will provide a global perspective on these questions, and explore some critical issues including the screening of foreign investment for national security reasons, regulatory challenges associated with foreign SOE acquisitions, investment protectionism and liberalisation, balancing investment protection and states’ right to regulate, international investment governance, and reform of the international investment law regime.

Dr Lu Wang hosted a panel of international investment law experts discussing the issues mentioned above. She was joined by Associate Prof. Alexandr Svetlicinii of the University of Macau, Prof. Huiping Chen of Xiamen University, Dr Wei Yin of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Dr Mavluda Sattorova of the University of Liverpool and Dr Jonathan Bonnitcha of UNSW Law.