Mission (Im)Possible? Could the WTO Save Chinese Courts?

(不)可能的任務?世界貿易組織(WTO)能夠拯救中國法院嗎?

本文探討中國被世界貿易組織要求應提供獨立公正司法審查制度的義務。首先,本文分析世界貿易組織法的法律條文與相關判決,並發現它們並未對此義務作出明確規範。本文主張,對於法院獨立性與公正性的國際與區域標準,可以作為詮釋此義務時的參考,並且許多歐洲人權法院的判決也與此相關而值得參考。在確認相關的國際與區域標準後,本文從司法行政、立法解釋與司法解釋的互動、司法委員會、判例制度等面向檢視中國對盡此義務的既有努力。本文認為,中國法院的現況,無法通過世界貿易組織的專家小組與上訴機構的審查,文章最後並指出中國法院的一些根本性問題。

This article examines China's WTO obligation to provide an independent and impartial judicial review. It starts with the analysis of the legal text and the existent jurisprudence in the WTO law. After this analysis, I find that the existent WTO law and jurisprudence does not offer clear guidance with regard to this obligation. I then argue in this article that international and regional standards of independence and impartiality of courts can offer insight for the interpretation of this obligation. Various case laws laid down by European Court of Human Rights are also relevant. After ascertaining the criteria to be applied, I then examine the existent progress made by China in order to fulfill its WTO obligation, focusing mainly on the administration of justice; the interaction between legislative interpretation and judicial interpretation; the adjudicative committee; and the case guidance system. I then conclude the existent practices in Chinese courts will not be able to pass the scrutiny of the Panel and the Appellate Body of the WTO, and point to some fundamental problems in relation to Chinese courts.