The enormous growth of the Chinese economy at a time of world recession and the rush of investment has made an introduction to the relevant law essential. Between 1960 and 1978 lawyers were practically abolished in China, with the result that there are still not enough to go round nor are they particularly valued. This gap is being filled by foreign and national partnerships and cooperatives that many predict will eventually supplant the state-run national system of lawyers. This particular volume, although it introduces something of the cultural and socio-economic problems of dealing with Chinese partners, is by no means self-sufficient as a tool for advice, nor is it intended to be.

The main focus of the volume is on China’s trade with the European Union rather than the European Union’s trade with the People’s Republic and to this end the book adopts a distinctly Chinese perspective, which sees European Union restrictions on China trade as fundamentally unfair and economically senseless. The rather short final part of the monograph