The Belt and Road Initiative and the Common Heritage of Mankind: Some Preliminary Observations

Abstract

With the development of global science and technology, the international legal concept of “the common heritage of mankind” (CHM) encounters some dilemma in practice. This editorial comment attempts to discuss the ongoing developments of the CHM concept in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) put forward by China, and then the interplay between the two concepts. It is argued that the inherent elements of the CHM concept, such as co-management, co-benefit, and co-participation, are well reflected in the BRI. Moreover, the BRI can also reinforce the dynamic extension of the CHM concept in the above three key elements. As a new international public good, the BRI is aimed at reasonable allocation and sharing of international resources following the CHM concept, and correspondingly this concept can strengthen the theoretical basis of the BRI facilitating its entry into the centre of the international stage.