International Law - English Version

Author: Wu Gang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-04-01
Features: After nearly five years of work, this bilingual edition of International Law has finally been completed. In the 21st century, China's connections with the international community have become closer, and conflicts and contradictions with other countries and international organizations are inevitable. Under the grand principles of peace and development, resolving international disputes through diplomatic and legal means is the correct choice for countries to address issues, and the importance of international law is self-evident. It is precisely for this reason that the demand for legal professionals proficient in English has remained high in our country in recent years. A large number of international treaty texts and rulings on international legal disputes are written in English as the working language, and it is hard to imagine that an international law student who has never read English-language literature on international law could perform well in future legal work. While teaching a bilingual international law course, the author found it difficult to find suitable bilingual textbooks, which motivated the author to write this one—it serves as both a summary of past teaching experiences and an exploration of future teaching directions. A significant feature of this book is its simplicity and conciseness in language. Many original English-language legal textbooks are lengthy and linguistically obscure, which can be frustrating for readers. Even if such issues can be resolved by consulting dictionaries and legal reference books, international law terms derived from Latin can leave Chinese readers bewildered. To address this, the book incorporates the essence of numerous original English-language works on international law, presenting complex legal concepts in an accessible and engaging manner. The author also discovered that students are more interested in case-based teaching than in dry theoretical lectures, and the teaching outcomes are more satisfactory. For this reason, the book includes a large number of international law cases, using practical case analyses and discussions to help readers understand abstract international law principles and rules. At the same time, the book strives to avoid the excessive emphasis on Anglo-American political and legal customs found in original English-language international law textbooks. It specifically selects cases and international events related to China, making the book more Chinese-oriented and relatable to readers. Adding numerous Chinese annotations is another feature of the book. To help legal students and professionals understand the content, the book includes Chinese annotations for key terms and difficult sentences. Annotations for key terms are in the form of underlines and marginal notes, making it convenient for readers to compare and refer at any time; while the translations and annotations for difficult sentences are in the form of wavy lines and footnotes, facilitating self-study and reference. Additionally, at the end of the book, an alphabetical list of commonly used international law terms with Chinese-English translations, as well as an alphabetical list of international treaties and organizations with Chinese-English translations, are included. In early September 2005, the first draft of this book was completed. In the final stages, leaders and colleagues offered valuable criticisms and suggestions on this book. Therefore, in another sense, this book also serves as a sincere expression of gratitude to them. Lastly, I would like to thank the many editors and staff at the Legal Publishing House for their hard work. Due to my limited abilities, any shortcomings and errors in the book are sincerely hoped to be pointed out by experts and scholars.