by Fan Xueke
The practice of IHL cannot be separated from countries’ recognition of its traditional ethics. Finding sufficient support for the connotation of IHL from ethics is conducive to further improving its compliance and implementation. In promoting the global acceptance and implementation of humanitarian law, it is necessary to fully consider these differences in ethical value systems, and seek consensus and compromise to ensure that humanitarian law can play its due role in protecting people. China has a long tradition of humanitarian ethics. This paper discusses the composition of traditional Chinese humanitarian ethics and the background of the formation of the law of war in Chinese history from several special historical periods, and examines its evolution. The traditional war ethics have encouraged contemporary China to embrace the international humanitarian law system and its connotation and principles with an open mind. This paper will analyze the historical evolution of Chinese humanitarian law ethics, examine the impact of ethics on the practice of IHL in China, explore the influence of Chinese ethics on the international community, and assess the application of IHL in China in conjunction with traditional Chinese ethics.
Keywords: humanitarian law, traditional ethics, China, consensus
