The Cognition And Exertion Of Guo Songtao On The International Law

Guo Songtao was a politician,diplomatist or ideologist in modern history of China, and he was sent on a diplomatic mission to the U.K. and became the first foreign mission of China. Diplomatic mission of Guo Songtao had important significance for modernizing diplomatism of China and international culture communion. International law was an arms that Guo Songtao made use of to negotiate with fremdness, therefore, the research of how he understood and applied the international law can help us know better about China diplomacy in late Qing Dynasty and the shaping up of the international law in modern China. Nowadays, China is opening its door to the outside world, and the international law is exerting wide influence on the international exchanges, so this research topic is particularly of both academic value and realistic significance.Guo Songtao had taken an initiative in studying the translation works about international law before and in the process of his diplomatic mission, and he also actively came into contact with persons in the circle of international law, as well as international institutions and organizations, so that he had a fairly impartial and objective understanding of international law.Guo Songtao had modern conception of nation and national sovereignty, he admitted that China was a part of world and that any other one country had own culture groundwork, as equal as China, and thought that standard of distinguishing Cathay and barbarians was civilization, not geography. Essential opinion of Guo Songtao in international law had three aspects: firstly, he thought that international law had"obligation of subsisting puny country"; secondly, he thought that international law rationality and moral spirit; thirdly, he had superficial knowledge of the hegemonic effect of international law. And to many idiographic questions, for example consular jurisdiction,tariff,accrediting consul and imparity treaty, Guo Songtao had some blue-chip opinions of own too.In period of being sent diplomatic mission to U.K. and France, Guo songtao transacted much circs by applying the international law, for instance calling for forbidding opium, and they incarnated modern conception of nation and national sovereignty which Guo songtao had in a certain extent.