Introducing the Newest Member of the ICJ: Xue Hanqin (薛捍勤)

The U.N. General Assembly and Security Council today voted to elect Xue Hanqin (薛捍勤) of China to membership on the International Court of Justice.  Xue will fill out the rest of the Judge Shi Jiuyong’s term, which runs until 5 February 2012.  As I noted before, Xue has an extensive experience as a diplomat as well as a member of the International Law Commission. Additionally, she has published a number of interesting articles and speeches in English on various topics of international law.  Her main academic work (in English) is Transboundary Damage in International Law (Cambridge 2003).  And she has sometimes taken on the role as a public spokesperson for Chinese views on international law. In a 2006 address in The Hague, for instance, she offered the glimmerings of a Chinese approach to international law questions such as state sovereignty, universal jurisdiction, and the fragmentation of international law. (Not detailed or developed views, but sort of interesting nonetheless).