Institutionalization of a human community with a shared future and principles of international law

• Author: Zhang Naigen
• Position: Ph.D. in Law, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Professor, Law School, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China. Contact: zhangng@fudan.edu.cn
• Pages: 84-106

FRONTIERS OF LAW IN CHINA

VOL. 15 MARCH 2020 NO. 1

DOI 10.3868/s050-009-020-0006-6

ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE AND

PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

ZHANG Naigen*

Abstract The doctrine of building “a human community with a shared future” (HCSF)

is a Chinese diplomatic strategy in the new era moving closer to the center of global

affairs. It includes enriched ideas about international law and the essential elements of

institutionalization. The emergence and development of modern international law have

revealed the critical importance of the ideas about international law as guidance for

institutions. It is necessary and possible to institutionalize the HCSF by setting its ideas

as principles of international law. The principles of international law for the HCSF are

those of durable peace, universal security, common prosperity, coexistence of different

civilizations, and sustainable development. The new five principles of the HCSF are

integrated with the existing general principles of international law and Chinese proposals

for the new era, which is not only the development of Chinese-initiated Five Principles

of Peaceful Coexistence but also a new contribution to the contemporary international

law. It will be the new guidance to advance the profound changes of international

relations unseen in a century for the common interest of mankind.

Keywords a human community with a shared future (HCSF), ideas, institutionalization,

principles of international law, Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 85

I. IDEAS ABOUT INTERNATIONAL LAW LEADING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF

MODERN INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTITUTIONS..................................................... 86

A. Definitions of “Idea” and “Institution”.............................................................. 86

B. Historical Arguments on the Ideas about International Law Leading Institutional

Development ........................................................................................................ 87

C. Sociological Analysis of the Ideas about International Law Leading Institutional

Development ........................................................................................................ 89

D. The “Profound Changes Unseen in a Century” Need the New Ideas to Be

Institutionalized ................................................................................................... 91

II. INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE HCSF: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PRINCIPLES OF

INTERNATIONAL LAW ............................................................................................... 92

* ZHANG Naigen (张乃根), Ph.D. in Law, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Professor, Law School,

Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China. Contact: zhangng@fudan.edu.cn

2020] INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE 85

A. The Perspective of Principles of International Law............................................ 92

B. Two Categories of the General Principles: International Law and Law ............ 93

C. The Revival of General Principles of International Law .................................... 94

III. INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE HCSF RELATING TO GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF

INTERNATIONAL LAW .............................................................................................. 96

A. The Principle of International Law: Durable Peace........................................... 96

B. The Principle of International Law: Universal Security .....................................97

C. The Principle of International Law: Common Prosperity................................... 98

D. The Principle of International Law: Coexistence of Different Civilizations..... 100

E. The Principle of International Law: Sustainable Development........................ 102

F. Summary of Five Principles of the International Law Based on the Ideas of the

HCSF ................................................................................................................. 103

IV. THE NEW FIVE PRINCIPLES OF THE HCSF AND THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF PEACEFUL

COEXISTENCE......................................................................................................... 103

A. The Linkages between the HCSF and the Five Principles of Peaceful

Coexistence........................................................................................................ 103

B. China’s Constitutional Amendment and Novelty of the New Five Principles of the

HCSF ................................................................................................................. 105

CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................ 105

INTRODUCTION

The doctrine of building “a human community with a shared future”1 (HCSF), as a

part of XI Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,

includes enriched ideas about international law. This is not only because the promotion to

build the HCSF must comply with international laws, but also because the doctrine of

building the HCSF itself provides ideas such as durable peace, universal security,

common prosperity, coexistence of different civilizations (openness and inclusiveness),

and sustainable development (a clean and beautiful world), which essentially derived

from the contemporary international law.2 Chinese scholars have discussed the HCSF

and principles of international law,3 but some issues remain untouched; in particular, why

1 The term “a human community with a shared future” (人类命运共同体) has similar translations, such as

“a community of shared future for mankind.” This article follows the term used in the book recently

published in English: XI Jinping, On Building a Human Community with a Shared Future, Central

Compilation and Translation Press (Beijing), (2019).

2 XU Hong, 人类命运共同体与国际法 (A Human Community with a Shared Future and International

Law), 5 国际法研究 (Chinese Review of International Law), 3 (2018); ZHANG Naigen, 试探人类命运共同体

的国际法理念 (Exploring the Ideas of International Law for a Human Community with a Shared Future), 中

国国际法年刊 (2017) (Chinese Yearbook of International Law), Law Press (Beijing), at 43 (2017).

3 HCSF and International Law Research Group, HUANG Huikang & HE Zhipeng et al. 人类命运共同体

的国际法构建 (

International Law Construction of Building a Human Community with a Shared Future), 1 武

大国际法评论 (Wuhan University International Law Review), 1 (2019).