On 3 November 2016 (New York local time), the election of the members of the International Law Commission was held at the seventy-first session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. China's candidate, Ambassador Huang Huikang received 146 votes and was successfully re-elected as a member of the International Law Commission. His term of office will begin on 1 January 2017 and expire at the end of 2021.

The International Law Commission was established by the General Assembly in 1947. The Commission consists of thirty-four members for a five-year term. Since its establishment, the Commission has made important contribution to the progressive development and codification of international law.