The Generation and Development of International Law Ideology in China ()
ABSTRACT
The earliest International Law was based on the foundation
of treaties among European countries. China began to communicate with the
United Kingdom and other countries at the
late Qing Dynasty. From then on, a large number of translated books concerning western International Law were
published in China. This article points out, the concept of “Wanguogong fa” or “Gongfa”
(International Law) had a
great impact on the intellectuals and from the point of view of them, peace,
fairness and justice should be excellently achieved only if they could
master and apply International Law. However, Japan’s aggression made China’s
dream broken, which directly prompted some intellectuals to reflect on the
nature and function of International Law. Since then, China had no choice but
to study the core knowledge of International Law from
Japan, gradually realizing that the essence of International Law should observe
the law of jungle, therefore a reconsideration of the International Law came
into being. With
the process of globalization, the contemporary International Law ideology in China has been enriched and the content of contemporary International Law has been
extended. This paper attempts to return to the long-term
perspective to search for the path of International Law ideology and provide a useful reference for the
current construction of the rule of law.
Share and Cite:
Ji, Y. (2018) The Generation and Development of International Law Ideology in China.
Chinese Studies,
7, 114-123. doi:
10.4236/chnstd.2018.71010.