"China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment" is one of the first scholarly books on Xi’s China during the pandemic, containing several features unmatched by existing scholarship. First, all the... Show more"China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment" is one of the first scholarly books on Xi’s China during the pandemic, containing several features unmatched by existing scholarship. First, all the authors have studied and taught Chinese and American history or politics in China, Taiwan, and the United States for decades. They are quite familiar with and deeply understand the history, politics, ideology, and society in China and the United States. Therefore, their research would be more balanced and nuanced, if not more profound, than that of many Western or China-based students. Second, most authors are historians who examine Xi Jinping’s China and China’s relationship with the West from a motley crew of historical backdrops and political and legal perspectives. Their probe into the historical trajectory, precedents, causes, and problems of Xi’s policies and intentions helps readers obtain a better sense of what Xi and his government could do in the future. Third, most authors are established and internationally renowned scholars in their respective fields. Lastly, this book is one of the first studies spanning from Xi Jinping’s rise to power in the early 2000s to the pandemic era and beyond. The authors have kept a close eye on the latest developments and sources to analyze and compare Xi’s policies as well as his volatile relations with the West before and after the pandemic. Show less
The article elaborates on the significance of the duty of sincere cooperation as a legal principle in the Common Commercial Policy (CCP) of the European Union (EU), in particular as regards the... Show moreThe article elaborates on the significance of the duty of sincere cooperation as a legal principle in the Common Commercial Policy (CCP) of the European Union (EU), in particular as regards the relationship between the Union and its Member States. It argues that while the duty of sincere cooperation is a judicially enforceable duty vis-a-vis the Member States, it is losing some of its relevance in the context of the CCP. This is due to the fact that the Lisbon Treaty, as confirmed by the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, expanded the scope of the CCP and clearly identifies it as an exclusive competence of the Union. Loyalty in the CCP, therefore, is mainly covered by the obligation to respect the exclusivity of the Union’s international powers in this area. While this does not equate to the disappearance of the Member States as actors in international economic governance, it does seriously constrain their leeway for autonomous action. In addition, the article applies this finding to a number of current developments surrounding the CCP. These include, firstly, the new Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy, which promotes the idea of a “joined-up” approach between different actors and policies; secondly, “Brexit” and the prospect of the United Kingdom negotiating new trade agreements of its own; thirdly, the position of the Member States in the WTO; and fourthly, the nature of the wave of new free trade agreements that the EU is negotiating and concluding. Show less
