Recently, Professor Liu Nanlai, a research fellow at the CASS Institute of International Law and an honorary CASS member, was interviewed by the newspaper People’s Daily on the important contributions made by China to the innovation and development of international law. In the interview, Professor Liu pointed out that today’s world is in a period of great change and adjustment and there are many uncertainties as to the direction of development of the world.

Against this background, Chinese President Xi Jinping has put forward the idea of building a new-type of international relation and a community of shared future for mankind, which represents the Chinese outlook on global governance and an important contribution made by to the development of international law theory. The idea of building a community of shared future for mankind has been accepted and supported by many countries in the world as well as by many international organizations, embodied in a number of UN documents and has to a large extent become a consensus of the international community. The building of a community of shared future for mankind has quickly entered into a stage of implementation.

Traditional international law is based on national interest and western countries have dominated international relations for a long period of time. Some countries have taken advantage of their own national strengthen to oppress and bully other countries, resulting in international conflicts and turmoil. The purpose of President Xi’s initiative of building a new-type of international relation and a community of shared future for mankind is to change this abnormal situation and build a new-type of international relationship based on mutual respect, fairness and justice, cooperation and mutual benefit. The idea of building a community of shared future for mankind transcends national boundaries, endeavors to promote the development of international relations to a new stage, and embody the essence of Chinese culture, namely “everyone belongs to one family in a united world”.

Building a community of shared future for mankind will be a long historical process, which needs to be based on and safeguarded by corresponding international law. In a speech given at the conference held in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the declaration of the “Five-principle of Peaceful Coexistence”, President Xi put forward the strategy of “Adherence to Six Principles”, namely adherence to the principles of sovereign equality, common security, common development, cooperation and mutual benefit, inclusiveness and mutual learning, and fairness and justice, thereby pointing out the direction and path for the building of a community of shared future for mankind and laying down basic principles and drawing up the blueprint for the construction of the international law of a community of shared future for mankind.