国际投资仲裁与中企赴美投资利益的保护

International Investment Arbitration and the Protection of Chinese Enterprises’Investment Interests in the United States

随着中国科技企业的研发实力和科技水平不断提升,越来越多的中国高科技企业在国际市场上取得不俗的成绩。美国是中国科技企业非常重要的海外市场,通过在美国的投资,中国企业不但可以获得更多的海外市场份额,优化自己的国际供应链,降低融资成本,提升企业的管理能力,还可以扩充吸纳更多来源广泛的人才。但是,自中美贸易战以来,越来越多的在美中企开始受到来自市场竞争以外的行政压力,美国政府多次以“国家安全”为由对中国企业进行包括“实体清单”和行政禁令在内的贸易与投资制裁措施。在此大环境下,中国企业在美投资遭遇行政和司法挑战的案例越来越多,我们已经看到不少中国企业选择了在美国境内利用美国国内法院和美国法律寻求救济,比如最近的抖音海外版TikTok。而本文将尝试从“条约选购”和“国籍规划”的角度出发,分析中国赴美投资企业选择除美国国内法院以外的国际投资仲裁方式,进而达到救济损失的可行性。中美之间至今尚未签署任何双边投资协议,这是中国投资者无法直接通过中美双边投资协议以国际投资仲裁的方式起诉美国的根本原因。但同时我们应当看到,不少中国企业都搭建了通过新加坡、加拿大、韩国或澳大利亚等地的离岸公司赴美投资的架构。这些架构实际上就是国际投资仲裁中的“国籍规划”,这就为中国企业根据自己的利益,通过“条约选择”对美进行投资仲裁提供了基础。具体地说,中国投资者在“国籍规划”的背景下,可以挑选新加坡、加拿大、韩国或澳大利亚这四个国家与美国之间的双边或多边投资贸易协定,用对己方最有利的条约对美国提起国际投资仲裁。

With the continuous improvement of research and development strength and technological level of Chinese science and technology enterprises,more and more Chinese high-tech enterprises have made remarkable achievements in the international market,among which America is a very important overseas market for Chinese science and technology enterprises.Through investment in the United States,Chinese enterprises can not only obtain more overseas market share,optimize their international supply chain,reduce financing costs,improve the management ability of enterprises,but also attract more talents.However,since the trade war between the United States and China,more and more Chinese enterprises in the United States have been under administrative pressure other than free market competition.The U.S.government has repeatedly imposed trade and investment sanctions on Chinese enterprises,including“entity list”and executive order,on the grounds of“national security”.There are increasing cases in which Chinese enterprises face the administrative and judicial challenges in the United States.Lots of Chinese companies have chosen seek relief in the U.S.courts,such as the latest TikTok.From the perspective of“treaty shopping”and“nationality planning”,this article will try to analyze the feasibility of Chinese enterprises to choose the international investment arbitration other than the domestic courts of the United States to seek relief.China and the United States have not signed any bilateral investment agreements yet,which is the fundamental reason why Chinese investors can not directly sue the United States through the bilateral investment agreements in the form of international investment arbitration.However,we should also see that many Chinese enterprises have invested in the United States through offshore companies in Singapore,Canada,South Korea or Australia.These company structures are actually“nationality planning”,which provides a basis for Chinese enterprises to conduct investment arbitration in the United States through“treaty selection”according to their own interests.Specifically,under the background of“nationality planning”,Chinese investors can choose the bilateral or multilateral investment and trade agreements between Singapore,Canada,South Korea or Australia and the United States,and apply for international investment arbitration against the United States with the most favorable treaty for their own side.