e-magazine
The Hot Zone
China's newly announced air defense identification zone over the East China Sea aims to shore up national security
Current Issue
· Table of Contents
· Editor's Desk
· Previous Issues
· Subscribe to Mag
Subscribe Now >>
Expert's View
World
Nation
Business
Finance
Market Watch
Legal-Ease
North American Report
Forum
Government Documents
Expat's Eye
Health
Science/Technology
Lifestyle
Books
Movies
Backgrounders
Special
Photo Gallery
Blogs
Reader's Service
Learning with
'Beijing Review'
E-mail us
RSS Feeds
PDF Edition
Web-magazine
Reader's Letters
Make Beijing Review your homepage
Hot Links

cheap eyeglasses
Market Avenue
eBeijing

Video
Special> National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010)> Video
UPDATED: December 2, 2009
China's Human Rights Progress Highlighted at UN Review
Share

China has made substantial achievements in the promotion and protection of human rights, particularly since the start of its reform and opening up in 1978, a senior Chinese diplomat said Monday.

The Chinese people won national independence in 1949, and since then "a fundamental social and political system for the promotion and protection of human rights has been established," said Li Baodong, Chinese ambassador to the UN Office in Geneva.

"With its launch of reform and opening up and its historic modernization drive in 1978, China has begun a new chapter in the promotion and protection of human rights," Li told a session of the 47-state UN Human Rights Council.

The Council was examining China's human rights record according to a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) system, which was initiated last year to review records of all UN member states so as to help improve human rights conditions worldwide.

Li told the Council that China has made great achievements in poverty reduction, as a result, the country had become the first in the world to meet the poverty reduction target set in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The average life expectancy of Chinese citizens has risen to 73 years, seven years higher than the world average, and the maternal mortality rate has dropped to 36.6 per 100,000, 60 percent lower than the figure in 1978 when the reform was first initiated, he added.

China has also made great progress in education. By the end of 2000, the entire country has realized universal nine-year compulsory education.

China has met ahead of schedule the targets of "universal primary education" and "eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education" set in the MDGs, Li said.

China has also worked consistently to improve its legal system. Since 1978, the National People's Congress (NPC) and its Standing Committee have enacted nearly 250 laws relating to the protection of human rights.

The notion of the rule of law and the notion that the State respects and safeguards human rights were codified in the Chinese Constitution in 1999 and 2004 respectively.

Besides, China has endeavored to promote democracy, enhance democratic institutions, improve the system of people's congresses, and reinforce political consultations among the political parties.

China also seeks to guarantee judicial independence and impartial administration of justice through continued reform and improvement of its judicial system.

The country has continued its efforts to promote law-based governance and to increase government transparency.

China also encourages non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to fully play their role in promoting and protecting human rights.

There are now 400,000 registered NGOs in China, which are active in such fields as poverty alleviation, health care, education, environmental protection, and the safeguarding of citizens' rights.

China pursues a policy of ethnic equality and regional ethnic autonomy. Ethnic minorities in China benefit from special preferential policies in political, economic, cultural and educational spheres.

The Chinese government encourages dual- and multi-language teaching in schools of ethnic minorities, and has helped 13 ethnic minorities to create or develop their own written languages, Li said.

Besides, huge investment has been made to protect the religions, cultural identities and other heritages of ethnic minorities, he added.

China has also taken an active part in international human rights exchanges and cooperation, he noted.

China is now party to 25 international human rights instruments, and has conducted human rights dialog with nearly 20 countries, he said.

Despite its huge achievements in the promotion of human rights, China is fully aware of its difficulties and challenges in this field, Li noted.

He cited such challenges as the need to create 24 million jobs each year, the existence of a vast number of poverty-stricken and low-income people, imbalances in development between urban and rural areas and among regions, and the lack of necessary medical and health-care services and a well-established social security system.

To overcome these difficulties and challenges, the Chinese government is conscientiously implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development in an effort to build a harmonious society characterized by democracy, the rule of law, equity and justice, Li said.

The Chinese government will continue to give top priority to people's livelihood, human values, people's rights and interests, and social equity and freedoms, he said.

(CCTV.com, Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2009)



 
Top Story
-Protecting Ocean Rights
-Partners in Defense
-Fighting HIV+'s Stigma
-HIV: Privacy VS. Protection
-Setting the Tone
Most Popular
 
About BEIJINGREVIEW | About beijingreview.com | Rss Feeds | Contact us | Advertising | Subscribe & Service | Make Beijing Review your homepage
Copyright Beijing Review All right reserved