China

This chapter discusses international law in China. Although the teaching, research, and dissemination of international law have become part of China’s steady efforts to achieve its aspirations for national rejuvenation, early Chinese experience with international law still remains a key to understanding China’s present attitude towards international law. Indeed, the perennial concern with its status, security, and territorial integrity, as shaped by its historical legacies, still overshadows China’s legal behaviour in the conduct of its foreign relations. Today, with its rise to world great-power status, China is depicted as a stakeholder in the present international system. China has been playing a constructive role in international and regional issues and has made significant contributions to world peace and development. In the inquiry into China’s attitude towards international law, one area which China attempts to draw attention to is the importance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence.