7 - China’s Treaty Practices

Summary

China has become an active treaty-maker by entering into a large number of bilateral, trilateral and multilateral treaties. More recently, China has been actively engaged in some high-profile negotiations with the EU, the United States and ASEAN, with the aim of expanding its economic network. However, China’s treaty behaviours have come under scrutiny. This chapter aims to conceptualize China’s treaty behaviours through some case studies, including the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, China’s signing of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention of State Immunity and International Legal Order. These case studies indicate China’s paradox in treaty-making. While it attempts to legalize its political will through treaty-making, its enforcement of these treaties may be subject to a politicalized endeavour.