Integrating Sustainable Development in International Investment Law: Normative Incompatibility, System Integration and Governance Implications

“Manjiao Chi has written an excellent work on the existing efforts of integrating the goals of sustainable development into the framework of investment agreements. The book defines sustainable development as the goal to be achieved, its incorporation within investment treaties and the improvements that could be made to make such incorporation more effective so that investment protection could be enmeshed with the achievement of the goals of sustainable development. This work will have a definite impact on the future course of the development of the international law on foreign investment.” ― M. Sornarajah, CJ Koh Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore

“This is a first rate primer on how to think about ‘sustainable development’ for purposes of the international investment regime. Professor Manjiao Chi goes beyond the obvious, such as mentioning “sustainable development” in the preambles of investment treaties, to consider, for example, how changes to substantive investment obligations and to the procedures applicable within investor-state arbitrations can further the economic and other goals associated with “sustainable development.” He also makes a plausible case that changes to investment treaties, including moves in favor of greater transparency and amicus participation, can make a useful contribution to our understanding of what the vague, but often cited, principle of “sustainable development” means.” ― José E. Alvarez, Herbert and Rose Rubin Professor of International Law, NYU School of Law, USA

Manjiao Chi is a Professor of International Law at Xiamen University, the People’s Republic of China, Deputy Security-General, the Administrative Council of Xiamen Academy of International Law, and was a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Global Cooperation Research, Germany.