Profiles
Chinese diplomat a UN judge
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-01 08:04
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 Xue Hanqin is a member of the International Law Commission |
Xue, a member of the International Law Commission, was elected by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council in separate votes.
She is the only woman among the 15 judges of the International Court of Justice, and the third Chinese to serve on the court.
Xue won all 15 votes in the Security Council on Tuesday morning and a majority of votes in the 192-nation UN General Assembly.
The election was held to fill the vacancy left after Chinese judge Shi Jiuyong resigned on May 28.
Xue told reporters that she thanked all those who voted for her and said she will carry out her duty under the UN Charter and the Statute of the Court.
Located in The Hague, in the Netherlands, the International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions to the United Nations and its specialized agencies. Its Statute is an integral part of the United Nations Charter.
The court is composed of 15 judges elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council, voting independently. They are chosen on the basis of their qualifications, and care is taken to ensure that the principal legal systems of the world are represented in the court. No two judges may be from the same country. The judges serve a nine-year term and may be re-elected. They cannot engage in any other occupation during their term of office.
In December 2008, Xue was appointed as China's first ambassador to the Association of South East Asian Nations.
Her previous job was ambassador to the Netherlands and representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. She has also been head of the department of treaty and law in the Foreign Ministry.