The International Law of Co-progressiveness: The Descriptive Observation, the Normative Position and Some Core Principles 

Sienho Yee 

Author Notes

Chinese Journal of International Law, Volume 13, Issue 3, September 2014, Pages 485–499, https://doi.org/10.1093/chinesejil/jmu025

I. Introduction

1. I am delighted to be here to participate in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the debut of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence (the “Five Principles”) and to ponder the development of international law under the current circumstances or perhaps for the future. I have been on an adventure to promote the international law of co-progressiveness since early 2001 when I published my paper Towards an International Law of Co-progressiveness.1 In my presentation today, I will first highlight, as a descriptive observation, what I consider to be the international law of co-progressiveness, a phrase I coined to describe the international law that is characterized by a spirit of being all-encompassing (hence “co”), preoccupied with advancements at an appropriate speed in moral and ethical terms more than in other respects and having human flourishing as its ultimate goal (hence “progressiveness”). I will then attempt to move from that descriptive observation to a normative position about the international law of co-progressiveness and argue that the international law of co-progressiveness not only is the law that governs international relations in the post-Cold War world but also should be the law that governs international relations generally. Finally I will tentatively attempt to identify some core tenets of this law.

Full text: https://doi.org/10.1093/chinesejil/jmu025