Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

submittedVersion

Publication Date

7-2024

Abstract

Supply chains play a pivotal role in global economic relations, fostering growth, employment, and poverty alleviation. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are central actors in these chains, bearing responsibilities towards workers and the environment. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards guide MNEs in assessing the societal and environmental impacts of their activities, though these standards remain largely voluntary. Recent investment treaty practice shows a trend to incorporate CSR provisions in international investment agreements (IIAs), but such clauses fail to impose direct human rights, labour and environmental obligations on investors. Amidst this landscape, the EU and China, major players in global trade and investment, have established diverging legal and policy frameworks to build responsible and sustainable supply chains. Considering these developments, the objectives of this article are twofold. First, the article explores the integration of CSR in international investment law. Second, it evaluates the different CSR initiatives taken by the EU and China that frame their foreign direct investments. Focusing on EU–China FDI relations, the article delineates implications for global supply chain governance offering insights into the evolving landscape of CSR frameworks, and the plagued path in adopting mandatory corporate responsibility standards.

Keywords

Belt and Road initiative, China, corporate social responsibility (CSR), European Union, global supply chains, due diligence, environmental protection, sustainability

Discipline

Asian Studies | Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics | International Trade Law

Research Areas

Public International Law, Regional and Trade Law

Publication

Asia Pacific Law Review

Volume

32

Issue

2

First Page

347

Last Page

369

ISSN

1019-2557

Identifier

10.1080/10192557.2024.2349825

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Embargo Period

11-3-2024

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1080/10192557.2024.2349825

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