Realism and EU Trade Policy: European Strategic Autonomy through the case of EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment = 현실주의와 EU 무역 정책: EU-중국 포괄적투자협정(CAI)사례를 통한 유럽의 전략적 자율성의 논의를 중심으로

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The EU established the EU-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China in 2003 with an action plan in earnest in 2013. One of the results from this partnership was an agreement called the EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement (CAI). It was agreed on December 30, 2020, after a seven-year agreement process. This investment deal has implications both economically and politically. Traditionally, the EU was perceived as the US's partner in containing China. However, due to this agreement, the EU's position has been perceived to have deviated from that of its ally, the US. In this context, this study examines the background and purpose of the EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement (CAI) and argues that this agreement is an extension of the EU's strategic autonomy from the perspective of realism, where the EU was driven by self-interest and power-maximisation in the negotiations of the CAI with China. The conclusion of this paper is that the EU’s decision to negotiate the CAI and the concluded provisions of the text can be explained by the EU’s desire to advance its own interests and projecting its power, in particular enhancing its industry competitiveness and enlarging its market access to China, as well as securing its place in the international stage, even at the cost of normative objectives.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

EU는 2003년 중국과 포괄적 전략적 동반자 관계(EU-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership)를 수립하고 2013년 본격적으로 행동 계획을 상호 확립했다. 그 결과 중 하나인 EU-중국 포괄적투자협정(EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement)은 7년의 합의 과정 끝에 2020년 12월 30일 원칙적 합의에 이르렀다. 이 합의는 경제적인 측면뿐 만 아니라 정치적으로도 시사점을 함축하고 있는데, EU는 미국의 중국 견제 파트너로 인식되어 있었으나 이번 협정의 결과로 EU의 입장이 동맹국인 미국과 다르다는 것을 반증한다. 본 연구는 이러한 문제의식 속에서 EU-중국 포괄적투자협정(CAI)의 체결 배경과 목적을 검토하고 EU가 자기 이익과 국제사회에서 힘의 극대화를 이루기 위한 목적을 가지고 움직인다는 현실주의적 관점에서 이 협정이 EU전략적 자율성의 연장선임을 현실주의 관점에서 살펴본다. 본 논문의 결론은 EU가 중국과 포괄적투자협정(CAI)이 EU가 산업 경쟁력을 강화하고 중국에 대한 시장 접근을 확대하여 상업적 이익을 취함과 동시에 국제사회에서 전략적 자율성을 취함으로써 정치적 그리고 안보적 힘을 키우는 현실주의적 목적으로 설명이 가능하다는 것이다.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Chapter 1. Introduction 1
• 1.1 Study Background 1
• 1.2 Purpose of Research 3
• Chapter 2. Literature Review and theoretical discussion 6
• 2.1 Literature Review on Realism in the EU Studies 7
• 2.2 Theoretical Framework 9
• Chapter 3. Hypotheses and operationalisation 10
• Chapter4. Method 11
• Chapter 5. The EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement (CAI) 14
• 5.1 CAI and FTA 14
• 5.2 The current status of the CAIs and FTAs by the EU 15
• 5.3 CAI between the EU and China 16
• Chapter 6. Analysis 20
• 6.1 Exploring the role of self-interest and power maximisation for the EU to launch the CAI negotiations with China (2003~2013) 20
• 6.2 Exploring the role of self-interest and power maximisation during the CAI negotiations with China (2013~2020) 26
• 6.3 How the EU's self-interest and power maximisation were reflected in the negotiations and the outcomes of the CAI: trading off normative values for commercial gains 33
• 6.3.1 Market liberalisation 34
• 6.3.2 A level playing field and the treatment of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) 37
• 6.3.3 The labour rights and the environmental commitments 38
• Chapter 7. Discussion 44
• Chapter 8. Conclusion 46
• Bibliography 48
• Abstract in Korean 61