Summary: | After having shown that the current European External Governance framework would fail to predict or explain the transfer of European environmental standards for the automotive industry towards the People’s Republic of China, the article proposes a revised framework which includes new assumptions regarding the domestic preferences of rule importers. The case study highlights the central explanatory role of the Chinese domestic preference in the rule transfer process. It also shows that the Chinese decision, although primarily motivated by considerations of effectiveness, was also influenced by the greater legitimacy of the Euro emission standards.
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