Investor State Arbitration and China: Principles and Practice

Editors

Lawrence Ma (Editor); Vivian Hui (Editor); Yating Lin (Editor); Yuhong Zhan (Editor)

ISBN: 9789888931620

Published: December 2025

Format: Paperback

Language: English

Publisher: LexisNexis Hong Kong

Description

This book outlines the principles behind the international law of foreign investment, with a primary focus on the law governed by bilateral and multilateral investment treaties. Legal principles are illustrated throughout with case examples, including in-depth analysis of important arbitral awards, summarizing the essential facts and reasoning behind ICSID, PCA and ad hoc investor-state arbitral decisions.

Key Features

Combines a systematic analytical study of the texts and principles underlying investment law with a jurisprudential analysis of case law from international tribunals; includes a dedicated chapter on procedure and tactics; contains a specific part on China, an infrequent participant in investor-state arbitration whose investors face a growing need to resort to it.

Coverage

Principles of international investment law as shaped by bilateral and multilateral investment treaties; detailed analysis of ICSID, PCA and ad hoc arbitral awards; procedure and tactics in investor-state arbitration; a dedicated part addressing China's evolving role and interests in the field.

Three applications stand out for practitioners: assessing treaty protections before advising an investor, using the treaty-by-treaty analysis to identify which protections apply to a given cross-border investment; preparing for arbitral proceedings, drawing on the dedicated procedure and tactics chapter and the case-by-case award analysis; and advising Chinese outbound investors, using the dedicated China part as investor-state arbitration becomes more relevant to Chinese capital moving abroad.

About the Editors

Lawrence Ma is a practising barrister admitted in Australia and Hong Kong, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators, and represents Chinese state-owned enterprises in international commercial arbitrations. Vivian Hui is a Hong Kong solicitor and China-Appointed Attesting Officer whose practice spans cross-border transactions, compliance and arbitration.

Table of Contents

Principles of the international law of foreign investment; bilateral and multilateral investment treaties; case analysis of ICSID, PCA and ad hoc investor-state arbitral awards; procedure and tactics in investor-state arbitration; China and investor-state arbitration.

Why buy this book?

Investor-state arbitration involving Chinese parties is a growing but still underserved area of the English-language literature — most treatments of investment arbitration are written around European or North American practice, with China treated briefly if at all. This book combines a systematic treaty-and-case grounding in investor-state arbitration generally with a dedicated part on China specifically, saving practitioners advising cross-border investors the work of piecing together China-relevant analysis from scattered sources.

Keywords

investor-state arbitration, international investment law, ICSID, bilateral investment treaties, China arbitration, foreign investment protection, PCA arbitration

Target Audience

Investor-state arbitration practitioners, international investment lawyers, arbitrators, in-house counsel, academic law libraries

Genre

International Investment Law, Arbitration, China

Q&A

Q: What does Investor State Arbitration and China: Principles and Practice cover?
A: The principles of international investment law as shaped by bilateral and multilateral investment treaties, with detailed analysis of ICSID, PCA and ad hoc arbitral awards and a dedicated part on China.

Q: Does the book focus only on China, or on investor-state arbitration generally?
A: Both — it provides a general grounding in investor-state arbitration principles and case law, with a specific part addressing China's evolving role in the field.

Q: Does the book cover arbitration procedure and tactics?
A: Yes, it includes a dedicated chapter on procedure and tactics in investor-state arbitration.

Q: Which arbitral bodies does the case analysis cover?
A: ICSID, PCA and ad hoc investor-state arbitral tribunals.

Q: Who edited Investor State Arbitration and China?
A: Lawrence Ma, Vivian Hui, Yating Lin and Yuhong Zhan.

Q: Where can I buy Investor State Arbitration and China: Principles and Practice?
A: Available through CLNZ Books, with worldwide delivery for law firms, arbitration centres and academic libraries.

📘 Learn more about shipping, delivery times, and returns, see our FAQ here

FAQ — Shipping, Delivery & Returns

How to Order

For step-by-step ordering guidance, including institutional orders and invoicing, see our How to Order page.