Should FDI be restricted on national security grounds?

Event Details

Time: 17.30-19.30 (Registration from 17.00)
Followed by a drinks reception

Venue: British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5JP

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There is an increasing tendency the world over to regulate foreign direct investments (FDI) to curb the influence of foreign powers on national security grounds. In Australia, authorities recently thwarted Huawei and ZTE's attempt to become a 5G provider citing national security concerns. In the United States, the authority of CIFUS to review inbound investments on national security grounds is being expanded and appears to be used ever more aggressively by the current administration, especially against China. In the UK, much has been said about Chinese investments in strategic sectors such as the energy and telecommunications sectors. The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently ran a consultation on proposed reforms to government's powers for scrutinising investment for the purposes of protecting national security.

All of these cases, therefore, raise the question about sensible limits to FDI, and the various Rule of Law implications this entails. The event will thus review the various arguments in favour of and against regulating FDI on national security grounds by considering the legal and Rule of Law dimensions across various jurisdictions.

Chair

Professor Mary E Footer, Professor of International Economic Law, School of Law, University of Nottingham

Speakers

• Sylvia Baule, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Trade, European Commission
• Tomoko Ishikawa, Associate Professor, Nagoya University, Graduate School of International Development, ICSID Conciliator
• Chrysoula Mavromati, Legal Adviser, Disputes, Development & Investment Team, Department for International Trade
• Oliver Welch, Interim Director of NDI, and Head of Defence and Security Policy, EEF, the manufacturers' organisation

Read the event summary

Join in the conversation @BinghamCentre #FDI #RuleofLaw

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This event is now fully booked

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