古代中国主导的国际法:理念与制度

International law conducted in ancient China: theory and practice

近代西方国际法是威斯特伐利亚体系的产物,与欧洲法律传统一脉相承,随着欧洲对外扩张逐渐成为了今天全球性国际秩序的法律基础。我们对中国古代国际法的研究不能受制于威斯特伐利亚体系下国际法的理论预设,而应当采纳一种与国际体系相适应的"国际法观"。在古代中国的对外交往中,"天下观"是基本的世界观,"礼"是国家间的主要规范,包含了精神层面的"礼义"和制度层面的"礼制",反映了儒家"礼治"思想在国际治理上的扩展。古代中国在周边区域主导的这套"国际法"在当时的国际社会具有规范性,为维护区域和平与稳定发挥了重要作用,这是我国国际治理历史上的重要财富,也能为现代国际法研究和实践提供经验借鉴。

Modern western international law, born in Europe, is a production of the Westphalian system and a reflection of western legal tradition in the anarchic international community. Along with the expansion of European countries, international law became the legal foundation of the globe. However, in the study of the history of Chinese international law, we should adopt a different view on the concept and nature of international law. In ancient China,“Tianxia”(under the Heaven) was the basic view of the world; “Li” constituted the norms among nations, which included Confucian morality and the regulation of tribute system. The international law conducted in ancient China acted as the concrete norm in history, and facilitated the peace and stability of the region. We can define it as the ancient international law in China, which is rich legacy in Chinese history of international governance, providing reference for studying modern international law in both theory and practice.