This is the first time since the establishment of the International Court of Justice in 1946 that a judge from China has served as president. Prior to this, Shi Jiuyong was first elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice on June 11, 1993 for a 9-year term. In June 2002, the 57th United Nations General Assembly re-elected him as a judge of the International Court of Justice. Prior to this, Shi Jiuyong was elected as the Vice President of the United Nations International Court of Justice in February 2000. Mr. Shi's election, as Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said in his congratulatory message, is the international community's recognition of his outstanding knowledge and impartial character. It is his personal honor, the honor of China Law School, and the honor of our country and nation.
Liang Shuying, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, had dealt with Shi Jiuyong in his early years. He doesn't comment much on history, he is very serious and rigorous, and he is very proficient in professional knowledge. Professor Liang remembered that Shi Jiuyong participated in international conferences and diplomatic negotiations as a representative or legal advisor of the Chinese delegation many times.
From 1985 to 1993, he served as legal adviser to the Chinese Chief Representative Office of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group. In the Sino-British judgment on Hong Kong, Shi Jiuyong played a high-level and outstanding role as a legal expert. According to Professor Liang Shuying, Shi’s selection fully demonstrates that he has won the recognition and respect of other judges in terms of knowledge and moral character.
International law research expert and professor at China University of Political Science and Law Zhao Xianglin believes that Shi Jiuyong’s election as president of the International Court of Justice reflects that China’s status in private international law arbitration institutions is improving.
Anyone who has some knowledge of international law cannot fail to know the name Shi Jiuyong. In the view of many in Beijing's international legal circles, Mr. Shi's election is the inevitable result of his personal knowledge and character.
77-year-old Shi Jiuyong is from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. He is knowledgeable and accomplished in the field of international law. When talking about how to embark on the path of international law, Shi Jiuyong said that when he was in college, China was in the war era. Events such as September 18, August 13, and World War II made him realize the profound meaning of a weak country without diplomacy. It also made him often think about the international rule of law and world peace, so he became interested in international law and eventually embarked on the path of international legal research.
In 1948, Shi graduated from the Political Science Department of St. John's University in Shanghai. In 1951, he received a master's degree in international law from Columbia University. After returning to China in 1954, Shi Jiuyong has been engaged in the education and research of international law. Since 1980, he has served as the legal advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in the Sino-British negotiations on the return of Hong Kong, and served as the legal advisor of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group.
In 1987, Shi was elected as a member of the United Nations International Law Commission until 1993+01 when he was elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice.
Forget nationality
There is a sentence in the "International Court of Justice Questions and Answers Manual": Once elected, the judges of the International Court of Justice no longer represent their respective governments.
The International Court of Justice was established in 1946 in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the International Court of Justice. Its predecessor was the Permanent Court of International Justice established in 1922 by the League of Nations, and its seat is the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. As one of the six major organs of the United Nations, the main responsibility of the International Court of Justice is to hear legal disputes between states and plays a very important role in the peaceful settlement of international disputes.
According to the provisions of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, the International Court of Justice is composed of 65,438+05 people of different nationalities. Their qualifications require high moral character and a country with the highest judicial position or a recognized jurisprudence of international law. Home. Prior to this judgment on the Israeli separation wall, the ICJ had issued 74 judgments since its establishment, covering land and maritime delimitation, territorial sovereignty, non-use of force, non-interference in internal affairs, diplomatic relations, abduction, asylum, nationality , rights of way and economic rights and many other legal issues.
Since the cases heard by the International Court of Justice involve the vital interests of one country or even multiple countries, the judges of the International Court of Justice are required to be absolutely impartial in the process of exercising their powers, forget their nationality, and only hear cases as judges.
One detail may reflect the absolute impartiality of international judges. Shortly after he was elected chairman, Mr. Shi gave an interview to a Chinese media outlet at his office in The Hague. The reporter mentioned in the interview that the Bush administration in the United States encouraged some countries to threaten the International Criminal Court and cancel military assistance to U.S. peacekeepers if they were not granted criminal immunity.
The reporter asked Mr. Shi to comment on this behavior, but Mr. Shi refused to answer.
He said: As a judge of the International Court of Justice, I have no right to express opinions on the internal affairs of member states.
Shi Jiuyong’s attitude reflects the strict neutrality of the judges of the International Court of Justice. In fact, there is a sentence in the International Court of Justice Questions and Answers Manual: Once elected, the judges of the International Court of Justice no longer represent their respective governments. Their first duty is to ensure absolute justice.
This strict code of professional conduct may be the same as Shi Jiuyong’s attitude when he was elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice: My only status in the International Court of Justice is that of a judge, and my legal belief is to conduct trials according to existing international law.