In today's world, bilateral investment protection treaties (BIT) have been playing an increasingly important role in regulating inter-state co-operation on foreign direct investment (FDI). Ever since China opened its door to FDI in the late 1970's, it has been quite active in concluding BITs with other countries as means to improve its investment climate. These BITs constitute an integral part of China's overall legal framework on foreign investment.;As a legally binding instrument, a BIT usually sets out standards of treatment and protection which a Contracting Party should accord to the investment made by investors from the other Contracting Party. So the content of the treaty generally reflects the attitude of a Contracting Party towards foreign investment and to some extent its perception of international law in this area. This study seeks to examine and compare some of the major substantive provisions in various Chinese BITs on such important issues as the establishment of foreign investment, the treatment of foreign investment, the expropriation of foreign assets, the right of repatriation and the settlement of investment disputes. The purpose here is to find out China's position mainly as a host country on these issues and how the BITs may affect the FDI in China. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).
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