Chapter

Chinese humanitarian law and international humanitarian law

Liu Daqun

The diversification and fragmentation of international criminal law

Leiden : M. Nijhoff, 2012

p. 349-359

English

Photocopies

The development of international humanitarian law is traditionally associated with the awakening of a humanitarian consciousness in Europe and North America. The Lieber Code of 1863, the St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868 and the Hague Conferences of 1899 are commonly credited as the sources of international humanitarian law. By the same token, the philosophical basis of international humanitarian law is typically attributed to the writings of Aristotle, Plato, Cicero and Grotius. However, the genesis of international humanitarian law is not unique to Western civilization. The history of armed conflict is replete with examples of states and sovereigns developing rules to regulate the use of force, the protection of civilians and the behaviour of belligerents in their conduct of war. With its long history of over 5,000 years, splendid cultural heritage and many philosophers, jurists and thinkers, China has made a great contribution, not only to civilization, but also to the development of international humanitarian law.

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