Does the EU need an investment treaty with China?
An event, presenting ECFR's policy brief “The European Interest in an investment treaty with China” in which Francois Godement and Angela Stanzel explore what leverage Europeans have to negotiate the long waited BIT with China
Guests
Daniel Valtchev, Member of the Council of ECFR
Stamen Yanev, Executive Director of InvestBulgaria Agency (IBA)
Angela Stanzel, Policy Fellow at ECFR and co-author of the policy brief “The European interest in an investment treaty with China”
Chaired by
Vessela Tcherneva, Head of Wider Europe Programme and Head of ECFR Sofia
The euro crisis in 2010 led to a “Scramble for Europe” as indebted EU member states – especially in the so-called periphery – desperately sought investment, above all in their sovereign debt and infrastructure. But since then, the rush for Chinese investment has spread from the periphery to the core.This makes it even more urgent for the EU to sign a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with China.
China, which prefers to deal bilaterally with EU member states, was until recently reluctant to agree to such a treaty. However, the emergence of a series of mega-trade deals such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) seems to have changed China’s mind. As China’s long-term “go-global” strategy shifts from resource producers to developed markets – and the renminbi gets stronger –China increasingly needs to invest in Europe.
“The European interest in an investment treaty with China” by Francois Godement and Angela Stanzel, explores what leverage Europeans have to negotiate the long wanted BIT with China.