The EU, the WHO and China

This book analyzes a series of integrated studies of relations between the EU, the WTO, and China. It consists of three main parts. Part I introduces the basic concepts. It surveys the literature on law and globalization, introduces the concept of sites of governance and the theory of global legal pluralism, and sketches the foundations of global legal pluralism. It shows that each site of governance has both a structural dimension - consisting of institutions, norms, and dispute resolution processes - and a relational dimension comprising its relations with other sites of governance. The totality of sites of governance constitutes a new form of global legal pluralism. Part II analyzes global legal pluralism in action, in relations between the EU, the WTO, and China. It examines the construction of relations between sites, ways in which relations between sites give rise to new legal concepts or transform the character of rules, the tension between regionalism and international integration, and the governance of international production networks. It emphasizes the reciprocal interaction between the structural features and the relational features of sites. Part III explores new directions in global legal pluralism. It first analyzes regional trade agreements as a way of creating new sites of governance, focusing on agreements involving China. It then considers how to enhance ethical issues in international trade regulation. Based on an institutional analysis of relations between the WTO and other sites of governance, it proposes ways in which global legal pluralism can be used to reform the WTO, today the predominant institution in the regulation of international trade, including trade between the EU and China.