Abstract
This chapter discusses the basic obligations for national product safety regulations imposed by the TBT Agreement, and gives a general picture of the rules on technical standards that are applicable in the relations between China and its trading partners. The first section defines the scope of the agreement, while the second analyzes its specific requirements relevant to domestic product safety regulations. The last section concludes with some general observations on the functioning of the agreement. Due to the space limitations, this chapter should be regarded more as an introduction than a comprehensive analysis of existing legal obligations. From the previous reasoning, it is evident that this chapter defines product safety rules quite broadly. They include provisions that aim at eliminating particular health risks – for example, by prohibiting particular chemical substances in some or all products – as well as provisions aimed at limiting their extent – for example, by setting specific thresholds for nicotine in cigarettes or by requiring certain safety devices in cars. In the second instance, a regulator may accept, for other reasons, a certain level of risk connected with the use of a product. Product safety rules also include informational requirements imposed on sellers or producers, such as various labeling obligations requiring them to disclose the composition of a product, provide instructions on its safe use, or indicate specific risks related to such use.
Full PaperTivadar Ötvös
Research Associate
Tivadar Ötvös, Research Associate at gLAWcal, Master Candidate at College of Europe in Bruges and EU commission Marie Curie Fellow at Tsinghua University and at Beijing Normal University (Beijing, China). PhD in Civil Law at the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice - specialization: Legal Principles.
Paolo Davide Farah
Founder, President and Director
Professor Paolo Davide Farah is Founder, President and Director of gLAWcal – Global Law Initiatives forSustainable Development, Full Professor(with tenure) at West Virginia University, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences,John D. Rockefeller IV School of Policy and Politics, Department of Public Administration and “Internationally Renowned Professor/Distinguished Professor of Law” (Full Professor level) at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), Law School, Beijing, China.
Summary
This chapter discusses the basic obligations for national product safety regulations imposed by the TBT Agreement, and gives a general picture of the rules on technical standards that are applicable in the relations between China and its trading partners. The first section defines the scope of the agreement, while the second analyzes its specific requirements relevant to domestic product safety regulations. The last section concludes with some general observations on the functioning of the agreement. Due to the space limitations, this chapter should be regarded more as an introduction than a comprehensive analysis of existing legal obligations. From the previous reasoning, it is evident that this chapter defines product safety rules quite broadly. They include provisions that aim at eliminating particular health risks – for example, by prohibiting particular chemical substances in some or all products – as well as provisions aimed at limiting their extent – for example, by setting specific thresholds for nicotine in cigarettes or by requiring certain safety devices in cars. In the second instance, a regulator may accept, for other reasons, a certain level of risk connected with the use of a product. Product safety rules also include informational requirements imposed on sellers or producers, such as various labeling obligations requiring them to disclose the composition of a product, provide instructions on its safe use, or indicate specific risks related to such use.
