Which and Whose Rules Rule? Chinese Agribusinesses and the Challenge of Compliance in Rural Tajikistan
研究中国农业企业在塔吉克斯坦农村如何应对法律复杂性和精英非正式要求，发现遵守国家法律相对容易但可被质疑，而遵守精英的非正式要求则不可或缺且需要适应。
ABSTRACT Chinese investments in Tajikistan have significantly increased since the early 2010s. In rural Tajikistan, Chinese companies make up the majority of foreign investors. However, Tajikistan's rural landscape is no easy terrain for foreigners. It is characterized by legal complexity, namely weak regulatory capacity, as well as various elites' unofficial requirements. What does compliance mean in such a setting, and how do Chinese companies navigate this environment? Engaging with the literature on compliance and legal geography scholarship, this article examines these questions through the lens of a Chinese agribusiness operating in Tajikistan's cotton economy. I focus on environmental law and the governance of cotton procurement and illuminate a stark contrast: compliance with state law can be claimed relatively easily, but also questioned. On the contrary, compliance with elites' informal requirements is indispensable and requires adaptation. In this context, Chinese companies adjust and comply with laws and norms in locally specific ways.