中国的海洋法实践:历史与现状

China’s Practice in the Law of the Sea:History and the Present

国际海洋法由几个世纪的各国国家实践缓慢发展而来,中国的国家实践亦在其间发挥了重要作用。西方国际法传入中国主要是在清朝晚期,遭遇鸦片战争的晚清政府被迫接受和适用了包括海洋法在内的部分国际法。从1840年鸦片战争开始到1949年新中国政府成立之前,中国处于不平等条约秩序下的半殖民地半封建社会,主权被西方列强大肆侵害,海洋权益被严重侵犯。其间,清朝和民国时期,中国仅有少量有效应用海洋法的实践,包括一些平等的双边条约谈判和加入多边条约的实践。1949年新中国政府成立后,中国完全取得独立的国家地位并对不平等的涉及海洋问题的多边与双边条约进行了或终止或废除或修改的处理,以全面维护国家主权和安全。20世纪70年代,新中国政府全程参加了第三次联合国海洋法会议,开启了海洋法实践的新时代。作为缔约者之一,中国对制定《联合国海洋法公约》(UNCLOS)做出了重要贡献,并通过国内实践全面实施以UNCLOS为代表的国际海洋法。但是,UNCLOS并不能解决全部海洋问题,大量的其他国际条约、习惯法规则和国家实践也在诠释和发展着海洋法。当前,中国继续维护以联合国为核心的国际体系,主张尊重国家平等意愿,构建以国际法为基础的海洋秩序。

Over centuries,State practice,including China’s practice,has played an important role in the gradual formation and development of the international law of the sea,which was originally consisted of a body of rules of customary law mainly binding States in their marine affairs.Looking back at the history of China,the late Qing Dynasty(after the 1840 Opium War)was forced to accept and apply western international law,including the law of the sea.In 1911,the Qing Government was overthrown and the transient government of the Republic of China was founded,but the country and the people were still in a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society under an unequal treaty order until the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.Before 1949,China’s sovereignty was infringed upon by Western powers and her maritime rights and interests were severely violated.During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China,there were only a few practices of effective application of the law of the sea,including some equal bilateral treaty negotiations and efforts of accession to some multilateral treaties.After 1949,China has fully acquired the status of an independent country and has either terminated,abrogated or amended the unequal multilateral and bilateral treaties concerning maritime issues in order to comprehensively safeguard national sovereignty and security.In the 1970 s,China fully participated in the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea,ushering in a new era in the practice of the law of the sea.As one of the signatories,China has made important contribution to the formulation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS),and fully implemented the international law of the sea represented by the UNCLOS through domestic practice.However,the UNCLOS cannot solve all maritime problems,and the role of other relevant international treaties,customary rules and State practice is also of significance.Today,China continues to uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core,advocate respecting the will of countries for equality,and building a maritime order based on international law.