Chinese Perspectives Part 5: Human Rights

Protester in China

Like sustainable development, Chinese promotion of human rights is seen as both a cause and a process – one that should be pursued at all times, but with an incremental approach resulting in changes that will be slow in coming.  In the past three decades, China’s process of opening up has lifted 300 million people … Read more

Chinese Perspectives Part 4: Sustainable Development

Beijing Cityscape

One of the most frequently levied criticisms made against China is that its development, while economically impressive, is environmentally disastrous.  Judge Xue addressed this criticism directly by providing the demographic and economic context underlying China’s development, briefly outlining China’s history as it relates to sustainable development, and arguing that the Chinese government is indeed actively … Read more

Chinese Perspectives Part 3: Sovereignty

The Great Wall of China

“In the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the principle of sovereignty ranks first.  It is the main principle to which the other four principles are related.  It is linked to territorial integrity and supplemented by the principles of non-intervention and non-aggression.  Equality and mutual benefit is the concrete expression of the sovereignty of a State, … Read more

Chinese Perspectives Part 2: History

Treaty of Nanjing

To understand anything about the contemporary Chinese perspective on international law, one must have a cursory understanding of China’s history of international relations. In this regard, Chinese history can be divided into three distinct periods: 1842 to 1949, 1949 to 1978, and 1978 to the present. The first period begins on August 29, 1842 with … Read more

Chinese Perspectives Part 1: Introduction

Judge Xue Hanqin

In 1984, the People’s Republic of China’s preeminent scholar of international law, Wang Tieya, taught a Special Course at the Hague Academy of International Law called “International Law in China: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.” As and a key advisor to the PRC on such matters, Professor Wang discussed international law in ancient China, political developments … Read more

Chinese Perspectives Part 1: Introduction

Judge Xue Hanqin

In 1984, the People’s Republic of China’s preeminent scholar of international law, Wang Tieya, taught a Special Course at the Hague Academy of International Law called “International Law in China: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.” As and a key advisor to the PRC on such matters, Professor Wang discussed international law in ancient China, political developments … Read more