《中欧全面投资协定》的公平竞争规则:关切、安排与应对

《中欧全面投资协定》旨在取代中国与26个欧盟成员国之间的双边投资协定,在中欧之间构建全面、综合、高水平、自由化的双边投资制度安排,其谈判完成具有历史性意义。公平竞争规则涉及国有企业、补贴、产业政策等敏感领域,曾一度是谈判难点。竞争中立在一些区域自贸协定中扩展到投资领域,表现为对国有企业的投资母国施加特殊规制性安排。中国对特殊安排做出重要承诺,但并未接受有实质影响的额外约束,既促成谈判收官,也能够保障国有企业海外投资的核心利益。欧盟近期的外资和法律政策呈现阶段性保守的新动态,以国家安全为名的《欧盟外资审查条例》对高科技、战略性领域的关切具有所有制歧视色彩,针对外国补贴可能引起内部市场扭曲的《关于外国补贴方面建立公平竞争环境的白皮书》对国企的海外投资有潜在风险。为此,我们应在国内层面进一步厘清政企关系,对“国家安全”进行清晰界定,在多边、双边、区域层面继续推进新一轮高水平的对外开放,同时加快升级外商投资国家安全审查机制,并完善公平竞争审查机制,标本兼治,内外兼修,趋利避害。

The Level Playing Field Rules of China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment:Concerns,Arrangements and Solutions

China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment(CAI)is designed to replace the biliteral investment agreement between China and 26 EU member countries;it will help construct the comprehensive,high-level and free institutional arrangement for the biliteral investment;and the completion of negotiations on CAI is of historic significance.The level playing field rules involve sensitive areas such as state-owned enterprises,subsidies,and industrial policies,which were once difficult for negotiation.The competitive neutrality requirement in the current regional free trade agreement has been extended to the investment field,manifested in the imposing of special regulatory arrangements on the home country of state-owned enterprises'investment.China made key concessions in the special arrangements without actual acceptance of extra restrictions with essential impact,which led to the conclusion of the negotiations and also guarantee the core interests of the overseas investment of state-owned enterprises in the future.Recently,some EU’s policies concerning foreign capital demonstrates the new trend of conservativeness,e.g.,the EU's"White Paper on Establishing a Level Competitive Environment in Foreign Subsidies"to solve the internal market distortions caused by foreign government subsidies has had a greater impact on overseas investment of state-owned enterprises.We should,at the domestic level,further clarify the relation between government and enterprises,clearly identify“national security”,continuously promote a new round of multilateral,bilateral and regional opening up at a higher level,accelerate and update the review mechanism of foreign investment national security,perfect the review mechanism of level competition,address both the symptoms and root causes of conflict,get refined internally and externally,better seize opportunities and avoid harm.