Can China’s belt and road initiative be reconciled with the EU’s multilateral approaches to international law?

Abstract

This article focuses on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a potential cause of trade,investment, financial, maritime, energy trade and intellectual property disputes. In so doingthis contribution discusses the increasing “ systemic rivalry ” among authoritarian, neo-liberal and ordo-liberal conceptions of international economic law and the resulting legal problems in the settlement of BRI disputes inside the EU countries, whose courts may notrecognize arbitration awards by Chinese arbitration institutions and may hold Chineseinvestors accountable for disregard for human and labor rights in their BRI investmentinside the EU countries.