This chapter explores the relationship between international law and the Chinese Constitution, which reflects the country’s self-positioning in the international legal order and its reception of international law in the local context. It first covers (i) the adaptation of international law in the domestic context and (ii) China’s engagement and increasing influence in the international arena. The Constitution provides a normative context to understand how international law is interpreted and applied in China. It concerns the perception of the PRC’s party regime on the content and the effect of international law and how they may be selectively adapted and interpreted in the local context to serve theprimary goals. From a normative perspective, this chapter analyzes the evolution of the Chinese Constitution from that of a revolutionary state to that of an emerging global power, with a focus on the current 1982 Constitution and its amendments in the post-Mao era in light of the notion of selective adaptation. A global power’s constitution, as featured in the 2018 amendment, suggests an effort of the PRC to pursue normative consensus with the international community.

This chapter first retraces the origins and evolution of the community of shared future for mankind (CSFM) terminology up to its incorporation in the preamble to the Chinese Constitution, while highlighting its centrality in XI Jinping’s ‘Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era’. The chapter then examines the main tenets of the CSFM, which is portrayed as a symbol of China’s commitment to fostering a ‘new development paradigm and pursuing mutual benefit and win–win cooperation’ on a global scale, on the basis of XI Jinping’s writings. In doing this, it pays particular attention to how the CSFM builds on some of the fundamental principles of international law and how it is furthermore being fleshed out through various international legal initiatives. To better illustrate this analysis, the chapter conceptually analyzes the nine core elements of the CSFM with the visual aid of the metaphoric architectural form of a ‘paifang’. The chapter concludes by pointing to some factors weighing in favour of China’s further deepening its legalist approach to international relations as the most fitting companion to its grand strategy of ‘peaceful/development rise’.