新冠肺炎疫情下的国际投资保护与公共卫生治理——以例外条款的适用为视角

International Investment Protection and Public Health Governance under the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic——From the Perspective of the Application of Exception Clauses

在抗击新冠肺炎疫情过程中,各国采取的停工停产等措施可能损害外国投资者的合法利益,违反该国缔结的国际投资协定义务。国际投资协定中的例外条款是保护外国投资和维护东道国公共卫生治理规制权的重要链接,但例外条款的适用应当受到相应限制。在新冠肺炎疫情下构建例外条款适用的合理路径,既有利于保护外国投资者的合法权利,保障东道国公共卫生治理规制权及东道国人民的健康权,也能够有效防止例外条款被滥用。仲裁庭在考察东道国为抗击疫情所采取的措施是否违反其承担的国际投资协定义务时,应当结合例外条款的具体措辞、东道国规制措施意在保护的价值、疫情不同时期国民生命和健康面临的威胁程度以及国家经济遭受的损害实际等因素具体考量。此外,东道国援引例外条款应当符合善意原则等习惯国际法。

In the course of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic,measures taken by countries like suspension of work and production may harm the legitimate interests of foreign investors and violate the obligations of the international investment agreements.The exception clause in such agreements is very important for protecting foreign investment and safeguarding the host country’s public health governance and regulation power,but the application of the exception clause should be limited accordingly.Building a reasonable path for the application of exception clauses during the COVID-19 pandemic will not only help protect the legal rights of foreign investors,protect the host country’s public health governance and regulation power and the health rights of the people of the host country,but also effectively prevent the exception clauses from being abused.When the arbitration tribunal examines whether the measures taken by the host country to fight the pandemic violate its obligations under the international investment agreement,it should take into account the specific wording of the exception clause,the value that the host country’s regulatory measures intended to protect,the threats to the lives and health of its citizens during different periods of the pandemic,and the degree of damage to the country’s economy.In addition,the host country’s invocation of exception clauses should conform to customary international laws such as the principle of good faith.