Modernization of International Humanitarian Law——The Origins and Evolution of the 1977 Additional Protocols to the 1949 Geneva Conventions

Regional wars and internal armed conflicts after the conclusion of the 1949 geneva conventions have presented new challenges to traditional international humanitarian law? To address those challenges, the international community concluded two additional protocols in 1977 to the 1949 geneva conventions? Those two protocols have unified the Hague Rules and the geneva Rules in the realm of traditional laws on wars, improved the protection of civilians,expanded the concept of armed conflicts and combatants, and developed special treaties applicable to non-international armed conflicts,reaffirming and developing the principles and rules of international humanitarian law worldwide, and promoting its modernization?

Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind: International Law-based Principles and Approaches

Building a community with a shared future for mankind is an important guiding principle for China to address foreign affairs in this new era, and its profound connotations echo the spirit of international law. In the context of globalization, the ever-increasing common interests of the international community lay a material basis for building a community with a shared future for mankind. The doctrine of international community orientation, which is based on sovereignty and at the same time transcends sovereignty, forms an ideological basis for building a community with a shared future. Realizing international socialism and striking a balance between formalism and substantial justice is a moral prerequisite for building a community with a shared future. To reduce existing legal obstacles to international communications, the laws of all countries and regions exhibit a tendency towards legal assimilation, which is expected to be a domestic law approach to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The establishment of international legal systems and the development of international organizations have vigorously promoted and maintained world peace yet failed to bring about perpetual peace. International law should attach more importance to the facilitation of human inner peace so as to realize perpetual peace. This is a new international law-based approach to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China's peaceful rise, which is based on traditional Chinese culture and the basic principles of international law, is China's special contribution to this great cause.

Democracy and the Rule of Law Promote China’s Development

CHINA’S modernization has been a historical process of continuous reform and development,exploring practices such as constitutional monarchy,democratic republic,and the Soviet mode.It has experienced twists and turns and ups and downs in drawing on foreign experience of reforms,finally arriving at"the socialist road with Chinese characteristics,"the mode of modernization that takes root in Chinese soil and is

Women’s Councils:A Practical Exploration on the Construction of Democracy, Autonomy and the Rule of Law at the Grassroots Level

The women’s councils are an innovation advocated by the All-China women’s federation for women’s participation in social management and grassroots democracy.They are a beneficial exploration for women to participate in public affairs according to the law in accordance with Article 2 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China,and are a model of"the combination of autonomy,rule of law and rule of virtue."The women’s councils have aroused the enthusiasm of women to participate in public affairs,stimulated their autonomous vitality and creativity,and helped to solve the problems of women’s lack of representation and voice in decision-making.The process of deliberation is also the process of developing the awareness of rights,rules,consultation ability,the concept of the rule of law and even thinking about the rule of law.The women’s councils not only help to protect the rights and interests of women and children and promote women’s development,but also has unique value in enriching grassroots consultative democracy,developing grassroots mass autonomy,building a society ruled by law and promoting the implementation of the Constitution.we should therefore fully affirm,support and perfect the women’s councils so as to make it long-term,standardized and institutionalized.

Judicial Application of International Human Rights Treaties in China

Since the Chinese Constitution does not stipulate the status of international treaties in the domestic legal system,the question of whether the domestic court can apply international human rights treaties keeps obscure all the time.China’s official statement and academic opinions generally believe that the domestic court couldn’t resort to the human rights treaties.In recent years,however,several cases have come out involving direct reference to human rights treaties by the court.The following factors contribute together to the direct reference:the inward-looking nature of international human rights treaties,specific requirements of human rights treaties,and the possible institutional room in Chinas’s current legal system.Take the view off ulfilling international human rights obligations,the practice of judicial application should be fully affirmed.Nevertheless,it should also be noted that relevant practice is still in its infancy,there are some problems such as inconsistent understanding and non-standard application.From the perspective of top-level design,it is necessary to provide a normative basis for the practice of the court,so as to make the international human rights treaties play their due role.

Five Years after the Entry of Force of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic,Social and Cultural Rights: Some Observations

The optional Protocol to the international covenant on economic, Social and cultural Right was adopted in 2008 and entered into force in 2013? During the five years after its entry into force, 23 States have ratified the optional Protocol, and 23 individual communications have been submitted to the committee on economic,Social and cultural Rights? comparing with the acceptance of individual communication procedures under other core international human rights treaties, the record of ratification of the optional Protocol is not satisfactory? in its examination of individual communications,the committee on economic, Social and cultural Rights has made detailed reasoning, extensively referred to its previous general comments, and in case of violations found, suggested both specific and general remedies? in its practice of examining individual communications, the committee on economic, Social and cultural Rights needs to clarify and define the rights under the covenant and their corresponding obligations, while maintaining its nature and role as a supervisory body, without expanding its competence to an unacceptable extent?

Laws,as an Integral Whole,Promotes the Cause of Human Rights

In modem society, the rule or law is an important pattern of national governance. Realizing human rights is closely related to the rule of law. What the author intends to discuss is how to use integral thinking to understand human rights as well as the relationship between human rights and development and how to comprehend the rule of law and the promotion of human rights through the rule of law in the process of facilitating the cause of human rights.

A Vibrant Society

Xinjiang embarks on the path towards high-quality development with local characteristics,ituated in northwest China,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the largest provincial region in terms of land area and is endowed with rich resources.It is also known as a champion of China’s reform and opening-up,the core of Silk Road Economic Belt,and a springboard for China’s greater openness.As a microcosm of the Chinese society that is pursuing greater and faster development,Xinjiang has achieved high-quality growth in its own way.

Following the Charter of the United Nations: The Basic Guarantee for the Realization of the Right to Development——From the Perspective of Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

This study discusses the basic guarantee of the Charter of the United Nations to realize the right to development from the angle of Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The concepts regarding the people as the focal point, the dignity, the worth of the human being, as well as larger aspects of freedom, and other basic concepts within the Charter of the United Nations, guide the right direction of action for the realization of the right to development. The purpose and principles of the United Nations establishment in the Charter constitute the basic legal protection of the right to development. Values of peace, international dialogue, and international cooperation show the right path to the realization of the right to development.

Deepening Reform of the Supervisory System to Intensify the Fight Against Corruption

FIGHTING against corruption according to the law is a hallmark of China’s anti-corruption campaign since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC),convened in 2012;and creating a sound,law-based supervisory system is a key focus and task of China’s efforts to establish a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and comprehensively advance law-based governance.In 2018,both the government and the CPC stepped up the formulation of laws and Party regulations for the fight against corruption.

Confucian Liberalism:Convergence Between the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Chinese Traditional Culture

As early as the 18th century,Confucian liberalism of considering others in one s own place was integrated into the provisions of freedom of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.In 1948,the Confucian idea of benevolence and other liberalism had an important influence on the drafting and content of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.The fulcrum of Confucian liberalism is self-discipline based on benevolence.The code of conduct created by Confucianism of"What you do not want done to yourself,do not do to others"has the social effect of safeguarding people’s negative freedom;the code of conduct of"while establishing himself and pursuing success,also works to establish others and enable them to succeed as well"has the social effect of safeguarding people s positive freedom.Confucian liberalism is social-oriented,which adheres to the unity of everyone’s freedom with the freedom of others,and the idea that individual freedom lies in the overall freedom of the social community.It is based on the conscience(benevolence)of the way of considering others in one’s own place and the practical path from the obligation to rights and freedoms are prominent features of traditional Chinese culture.It is consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’provision that everyone has duties to the community,and is similar to Marx’s philosophy that"the free development of every human being is the condition of the free development of all human beings",and is a unique system of liberal discourse that is different from Western liberalism.

Human Rights Connotations and Contemporary Values of Traditional Chinese People-Based Thinking

The time-honored traditional Chinese minben(people-based) thinking has rich implications for human rights. The concepts of min and minben are much in line with their contemporary counterparts of "human" and "people orientation". Upholding the belief of "people as the foundation of states", minben advocates the fundamental political status of the people, and requires leaders to implement "people-oriented" policies. Its encapsulation of the theoretical foundation and basic requirements for the protection of human rights enabled it to promote the protection of people’s livelihoods and civil rights in ancient China. Its sublimation in contemporary China has had, and will continue to have, a far-reaching impact on the development of human rights in China.

Characteristics of “Reasonable Accommodation” and its Application in Employment in China

Both reasonable accommodation and accessibility are crucial concepts in the UN Convent ion on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Those two concepts promote each other and should develop as a whole State parties of the Convention undertake immediate obligations to ensure the provision of reasonable accommodation, which has advantages such as characteristics of subjective rights, individualization, justiciability and convenience, making it a flexible tool for the protection of rights It can serve as a supplement to insufficient accessibility and play a unique role in other areas which are irrelevant to accessibility, so as to satisfy the special needs of certain subjects to the largest extent The State Party has an ex ante and progressive obligations to the realization of the accessibility construction, which has advantages of comman design, large scale, economization and no need for individualization consideration In China, various forms of reasonable accommodation have been applied in employment, but they have disadvantages of contingency, randomness, simplicity and lack of systematic support In the process of further promoting the employment of people with disabilities in China, in addition to strengthening accessibility construction, we must fully understand and flexibly adopt reasonable accommodation.

On the Public Diplomacy of China in the Human Rights Fields

With the development of human rights as the mainstreaming in the international society, the public diplomacy in human rights field is more significant than before. China is facing both opportunities and challenges in regard to the human rights exchange and cooperation, and the public diplomacy of China on human rights needs strengthening. China Society for Human Rights Studies has achieved a lot in human rights studies and promotion in China and in international public diplomacy. The Center for Human Rights Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences plays an important role as a think tank as well. The Beijing Juvenile Legal Aid and Research Center is another example in Chinese public diplomacy on human rights. While the western NGOs are quite active, the voice of their counterparts in the developing countries is very low. China should take efforts to promote public diplomacy on human rights, including advocating Chinese understanding of human rights and participating in drafting and exercising the international human rights law.

The Centennial History and Significance of the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Persons with Disabilities by the Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China has been concerned with the protection of the rights and interests of persons with disabilities since its founding.in the period of the new democratic Revolution and after the founding of the People’s Republic of China,it adopted a series of protective measures in various forms in line with local conditions.Since the reform and opening-up,the cause of persons with disabilities has developed in an all-around way under the leadership of the CPC.especially since the 18th national Congress of the Communist Party of China,the protection of human rights for persons with disabilities has been innovatively developed,and persons with disabilities have been truly participating in social affairs and share the country’s development gains as equal subjects of rights.The centennial history of the Party’s protection of the rights and interests of persons with disabilities shows that the CPC’s ideas of human rights protection consecutively comprise humanitarian assistance,humanitarian protection,and people-centered human rights protection.The main identity of persons with disabilities has changed from the object of protection during the revolution to the object of medical care and social welfare,and the subject of human rights.The content of protection of rights and interests has developed from survival assistance to comprehensive protection including education,rehabilitation,employment,etc.The dignity,autonomy,equality,and social participation of persons with disabilities as the subject of human rights have become increasingly prominent.

Development of Women's Rights in China Through A Hundred Years:From a Strong Sense of Political Responsibility to Increasingly Better Legal Protection

The founding of the Communist party of China,especially the founding of pRC and the establishment of the socialist system,opened a new chapter in the development of the Chinese women’s cause.The Communist party of China(CpC)and the Chinese government have a strong political will and a sense of political responsibility in realizing gender equality and protecting women’s rights.over the past 100 years,under the leadership of the CpC,the status of Chinese women has been fundamentally changed in the political and legal sense,and a historic breakthrough has been achieved.The development of the Chinese women’s cause has overcome many difficulties.In particular,after the launch of the reform and opening-up,on the basis of economic development,social progress,and continuous promotion of the rule of law,a set of legal protection systems for comprehensive protection of women’s rights have gradually been formed.The concept of social gender has provided new perspectives and approaches for China’s legal studies,and the process of gender mainstreaming in China has continued to deepen.China follows the socialist path of women’s cause with Chinese characteristics and continues to strengthen the legal protection of women’s rights in China,thereby making important contributions to the development of women in the world.

The Development of Legal Protection of Women's Human Rights in China

The legal confirmation process of women’s human rights has been undergoing great difficulties both in the United Nations and among nations. The Fourth World Conference on Women plays a role in promoting the legal protection of women’s human rights. Currently, the protection of women’s human rights has undoubtedly become the consensus of both international and domestic law. International conventions on human rights have become an important launching area for promoting international law on women’s human rights, owing to its legal binding force and supervising mechanism established under it. Domestic law has also become the first line of defense for protecting women’s human rights. However, it needs to be pointed out that, for international conventions on human rights and domestic legislation, the cognition and acceptance of social gender conception has not only promoted changes on forms, but, more importantly, on revolution at substantial level.

Dignity:the Overlap of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Traditional Chinese Culture

Human dignity is the fundamental concept of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and serves as the theoretical backbone for the international human rights system. Chinese culture has an excellent tradition of treasuring the dignity and value of people. The provisions on dignity in the Declaration can find their historical origins in traditional Chinese culture. The dignity of people has a supreme status and value in traditional Chinese culture. Chinese "etiquette" culture has a long tradition of respecting the dignity of people.Achieving benevolence through etiquette is the basic way to protect human dignity. Etiquette in ancient China was constrained by inequality and historical limitations, but it also had the elements of respecting or honoring others, and had the practical function of respecting, maintaining and achieving human dignity. The effective implementation of etiquette requires the fulfillment of people’s basic needs. Progressing from xiao kang(moderate prosperity) to da tong(great harmony) is the process of approaching the human rights standards of human dignity and equal rights that all nations and all peoples should strive to achieve.

Towards A World of Harmony:A Historical Chinese Conception of the World Order

I.Introduction On April 22,2005,at the Summit of Asian and African Leaders in Jakarta,Indonesia,Chinese President Hu Jingtao proposed that Asian and African countries should“promote friendly co-existence of various different civilizations,equal conversation,development and prosperity and jointly to build up a harmonious world.”It was the first time the term"harmonious world" presented to international community.

Interpretation of the Report of the 18th CPC Congress:To Respect and Protect Human Rights

In the crucial period of building a moderately prosperous soci- ety and deepening reform and opening up, and of accelerat-ing the transformation of economic development, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which was held in November 2012, made comprehensive arrange- ments for the undertakings of both the Party and the State, further clari- fied the goals and grand blueprint for future development in the next period, and left an important and far- reaching impact on the development of our country＇s human rights cause. This paper intends to give a theo- retical interpretation of the part of the Report regarding ＂to respect and pro- tect human rights.＂