Chinese lawmaker elected to UN Court for Law of Sea

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A deputy to the Chinese National People's Congress, China's legislature, was elected Wednesday as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Gao Zhiguo, 52, executive director of the China Institute for Marine Affairs under the State Oceanic Administration, will fill the vacancy left by Xu Guangjian, who had resigned for health reasons.

Xu was the director-general of the Department of Treaties and Law in the Chinese Foreign Ministry and took the position in April 2002.

A special meeting took place Wednesday at the UN headquarters to elect the replacement judge.

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is an independent judicial body established in October 1996 in Germany to adjudicate disputes arising from the interpretation and application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that took effect in 1994.

The tribunal is composed of 21 independent members, elected from among persons enjoying the highest reputation for fairness and integrity and of recognized competence in the field of the law of the sea.