On the Marginality, Comprehensiveness, and Independence of International Economic Law Discipline

Abstract

There is no consensus among domestic and foreign law scholars regarding the exact connotation and denotation of the science of international economic law, among which a narrow and broad approach of interpretation can be recognized as relatively popular. This article endeavors to conduct a concise analysis and comment towards such two approaches of interpretation and to demonstrate that international economic law, as an interdisciplinary marginal synthesis, generally refers to all legal norms that adjust international economic relations. It is further discussed in the latter parts of this article that there are close connections as well as clear distinctions in between international economic law and other relative legal departments as public international law, private international law, domestic economic law, and international business practices. Through this article, the author stresses that upright and impartial law scholars in China and other developing countries should carefully learn, independently select, digest, and absorb relating knowledge and experiences from Western powers after simply taking over them, i.e., taking their essence and discarding their dregs. And furthermore, they should have the courage and resolution to create and gradually establish a novel theoretical system of IEL discipline which exactly reflects the common stand of the many Third World countries and takes on Chinese characteristics.