Lecture: The Bilateral Investment Treaty between China and Taiwan and Its Historical Background
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
6 pm KWZ 0.602
Prof. Dr. Chi Chung (Academia Sinica)

The bilateral investment treaty between China (People’s Republic of China; PRC) and Taiwan (Republic of China; ROC) took effect on January 31, 2013. Although it is the 104th bilateral investment treaty for China and the 17th bilateral investment treaty for Taiwan, it is a milestone for both the China-Taiwan relationship and Taiwan’s relationships with the rest of the world.  I will discuss its contents and historical background.

Longtime observers of China and Taiwan would of course note that the word “treaty” seems politically incorrect and therefore impossible in the China-Taiwan context. Indeed, the word “treaty” is not used in the document. I plan to provide the historical background to help explain the contents and purposes of the investment treaty.

After presenting the contents of the investment treaty between China and Taiwan, I will discuss the political history between China and Taiwan and the history of economic and social interactions between the people of China and the people of Taiwan. I will also discuss the legal history of the investment relationship between China and Taiwan. In the Conclusion, I draw on the historical background aforementioned and the international legal scholarship on the issue of “compliance” to discuss the extent to which the investment treaty lives up to its promise.