Shi Jiuyong (; 9 October 1926 – 18 January 2022) was a Chinese judge at the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

(ICJ). Shi was elected to the ICJ on 6 February 1994, and became President nine years later on 6 February 2003. In 2010, he announced his resignation from the Court effective on 28 May 2010.

Life and career

Shi was born in the port city of

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

, in

Zhejiang Province Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jian ...

, China, on 9 October 1926. His father, an importer and merchant of

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...

s who had six children, relocated the family to

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

in 1927. He grew up in a relatively wealthy household, and was educated in English at the British-run

Lester Institute Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name * Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic * Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American artist from Wiscon ...

, before going on to study law at

Saint John's University, Shanghai St. John's University (SJU) was a Christian university in Shanghai. Founded in 1879 by American missionaries, it was one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China, often regarded as the Harvard of China. After the founding of the ...

, where he obtained a bachelor's degree on politics. Afterward he went to United States and studied at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked ...

, New York City, where he obtained postgraduate degree in international law. From 1956 to 1958, he held various teaching and fellowship positions at international affairs colleges and institutes around

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. He became a professor of

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

at the

Foreign Affairs College China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU; ) is a public university for diplomats located in Beijing, China. It is jointly administrated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education. It is a Chinese state Double First Class Un ...

, Beijing, in 1984. From the 1980s, he served as an international law representative of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...

through various important international conventions and treaties, including the Sino-British negotiations on the status of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. Shi was also a member and chairman of the

International Law Commission The International Law Commission (ILC) is a body of experts responsible for helping develop and codify international law. It is composed of 34 individuals recognized for their expertise and qualifications in international law, who are elected by t ...

. He lectured on international law throughout China and the English-speaking world, including a stint at

The Hague Academy of International Law The Hague Academy of International Law (french: Académie de droit international de La Haye) is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Courses are taug ...

. Shi died on 18 January 2022, at the age of 95.

Rise to the Hague

Shi was elected to the ICJ on 6 February 1994, and became the president on 6 February 2003 at the age of 77. It was also the first time that a Chinese judge became president of the ICJ. The foreign minister of the People's Republic of China

Tang Jiaxuan Tang Jiaxuan () (born January 17, 1938) is a Chinese diplomat and politician who was foreign minister of the People's Republic of China from 1998–2003. After various diplomatic postings in Japan, he became Assistant to the Minister of For ...

sent his personal warm congratulations to Shi.史久镛当选国际法院院长唐家璇致电祝贺(全文)
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Selected works

He is the author of numerous publications on international law. *《外交庇护》 (''Diplomatic asylum'') *《条约法讲演集》 (''Lectures on the Law of Treaties'') *《南极的法律问题》 (''Legal Issues of Antarctica'') *《普遍优惠制度与国际贸易》 (''The Generalised System of Preferences and International Trade'') *《香港与关税和贸易总协定》 (''Hong Kong and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade'')

Positions

* Fellow;

Chinese Society of International Law Chinese Society of International Law () founded by in 1980 and has more than 800 registered members from all over the country engaged in teaching and research institutions of international law, state organs and other practical work departments. Chin ...

* Senior Advisor; China's Legal Advice Centr

Lectures

''Asia and International Law: A New Era Distinguished Speakers Panel''
in th

* ttp://legal.un.org/avl/faculty/Shi.html ''The Present and Future Role of the International Court of Justice in the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes''in th
Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law

References

External links

ICJ Biography of Shi Jiuyong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shi, Jiuyong 1926 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Chinese judges 21st-century Chinese judges Chinese jurists The Hague Academy of International Law people Presidents of the International Court of Justice International Law Commission officials Columbia Law School alumni St. John's University, Shanghai alumni Chinese legal scholars Writers from Ningbo Chinese judges of United Nations courts and tribunals