Title：How Did China Promote the Issue of Investment Facilitation?

Authors：Zhijin Huang, Shasha Zhu

Abstract：Since China proposed its investment facilitation initiative in 2017, it has been engaged in a difficult process of agenda-setting and negotiation advancement at the regional and multilateral levels. Ministers representing WTO members have issued Joint Ministerial Declaration marking the finalization of the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement. Looking back at the process of the investment facilitation negotiation, the agenda-setting China involved and its practice in negotiations are remarkable. International agenda-setting is the process by which relevant actors place issues of concern on the international agenda through issue selection and definition, conflict and mobilization, and the choice of agenda entry points. Throughout this process, not only traditional state actors matter, but also non-state actors matter. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn, and the rise of global unilateralism and conservatism, the resolution of the problem of investment facilitation will add new momentum to the multilateral economic and trading system. When China takes the lead on investment facilitation, it has maximized its agenda-setting, Issue-oriented alliance, and discourse power network building to promote the conclusion of the Agreement on Investment Facilitation. However, China also needs to keep improving its training of international policy professionals and knowledge leaders to help it continue to expand its international influence and participate more extensively in the international standard-setting and rule-making.

Keywords：Facilitation of Investment, Agenda-setting, Issue-oriented Alliance, Leadership, Discourse Power Network