Coercion, Rivalry, and Lessons for the EU Integration from the Lithuania-China Row

Event Details:

There is no precise definition and universal understanding of economic coercion in international law. It is often broadly defined in scholarship as an instrument of economic statecraft to intervene in the affairs of other states in order to achieve changes in the targeted state’s policies (McLean & Ratdke, 2018). Due to the creativity of states in finding new ways to interfere with each other’s trade and investment activities and policies, the list of state measures that could be considered economic coercion seems to be non-exhaustive. The United States, the European Union (EU), and China have used measures of economic coercion extensively. In this talk, Professor Biukovic will discuss the EU political and legal actions in response to the trade embargo that China has imposed on Lithuania, in retaliation for its criticism of China’s treatment of the Uighurs and its policy with respect to Taiwan’s autonomy. She will argue that the outcome of these actions will determine not only the dynamics of the rivalry between the EU and China in the years to come but also the EU’s ability to act as a political and economic power capable of protecting not only the rules of global trade but also principles and values vital to the advancement of its model of economic integration and governance.

Please see our event webpage: CES Research Colloquia | Centre for European Studies (ubc.ca)

Speaker:

Dr. Biuković is a Professor in the Allard School of Law. She teaches Contract Law, European Union Law, and International Trade Law. Her research interests are in the areas of international economic law and European Union integration. She publishes regularly on topics of legal transplantation of international norms and standards by national governments, the impact of regionalism on multilateral trade negotiations, mega-regional trade and investment agreements, and the development of European Union. She acted as a co-investigator in the Major Collaborative Research Initiative research project on Coordinated Compliance of International Trade Law and Human Rights funded by SSHRC from 2011 to 2018. Her work focused on the interaction between international trade rules and local human rights norms and practices in the context of performance of international trade agreements and cooperation among developing countries. At present, Dr. Biuković examines issues on collective memories and international law as a part of a new research project funded by Franklin Lew Innovation Fund.