Pursuit of a happy life best way to protect rights
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core has attached great importance to the human rights cause. Xi has made a series of important remarks on respecting and protecting human rights, laying out the road map for the development of human rights in China in the new era, thus contributing Chinese wisdom to human rights development worldwide.
The publication of the book of extracts from Xi’s speeches on and exposition of human rights is a milestone in human rights development in China and will help us understand the importance of and implement Xi’s thoughts on human rights.
Xi’s “people-centered” philosophy on human rights makes it clear that helping people to pursue a happy life is the best way to protect human rights. China adheres to the principle that all rights are interdependent and inseparable, takes people’s rights to subsistence and development as the primary human rights, and promotes the balanced development of economic, social and cultural rights on the one hand and civil and political rights on the other.
As such, China’s human rights development is for and by the people, respects the principal position of the people, and ensures their rights to participation and development.
China believes that “people’s satisfaction” is the highest development standard of human rights, regards fulfilling people’s yearning for a better life as the goal of human rights development, and makes continuous efforts to improve people’s sense of gain, happiness and security.
Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee
Party’s goal is to help people lead a happy life
The Party and the Chinese government have always respected and protected human rights. Since the day of its founding, the Party’s goal has been to help people in their pursuit of happiness and promote the development of humankind. No wonder “respecting and protecting human rights” were written into the country’s Constitution and the Party Constitution after the launch of reform and opening-up.
Since the 18th Party Congress, Xi has made a series of important remarks on promoting China’s human rights cause and making human rights governance fairer, and more reasonable and inclusive, enriching the human rights cause worldwide with Chinese characteristics.
Xi’s remarks on human rights show the importance of the Party putting the people first and its original mission of realizing happiness for the people and achieving national rejuvenation. They embody the Party’s consistent position of upholding independence and embarking on the path of political and human rights development that conforms to China’s national conditions. The remarks also show the Party’s commitment to its global mission of making more contributions to humankind.
Huang Yibing, vice-president of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee
Neglect of people’s right to life unforgivable
Human rights protection is a national responsibility. The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on societies, and people’s lives and health, underscoring the importance of the right to life and health as the most fundamental of human rights.
So protecting human life and health during the epidemic is the litmus test to determine whether a country has done a good job in human rights development.
“People-centered” is a key phrase in the book. In fact, “people” appears 691 times and “masses” 89 times in the book, reflecting the importance of the “people” in Xi’s thought.
When the pandemic broke out in January 2020, Xi stressed that the “prevention and control of the epidemic is a responsibility, and Party organs and governments at all levels must put people’s safety and health first, and make epidemic prevention and control their most important task”. Under the guidance of the CPC Central Committee, Party organs and governments at all levels joined the battle against the pandemic and brought it largely under control in less than 100 days.
That was not only a watershed in the prevention and control of the epidemic in China but also a great achievement in the protection of human rights globally, not least because it allowed the Chinese people to quickly return to normal life and resume near normal economic activity.
The fact that the pandemic was contained in a scientific and effective way has helped the Chinese people live and work in peace despite the occasional infection outbreaks in some places. Which can be a model of human rights protection.
On the other hand, some countries, especially the self-proclaimed human rights champions, either didn’t do anything or looked for excuses to cover their failure to protect people’s right to life in the face of the pandemic. This indifference to people’s right to life is the most serious violation of human rights.
Zhang Yonghe, executive dean of, and a professor at the Human Rights Institute, Southwest University of Political Science and Law
US uses rights as a tool to bully developing nations
China has always been an active participant in and defender of the United Nations human rights system, and has made important contributions to the development of human rights worldwide.
For instance, it prompted the UN Commission on Human Rights to establish the Universal Periodic Review, which, to a certain extent, counters the hegemony of the US-led West that uses human rights as a political tool and finds fault with others without any self-introspection.
Besides eradicating absolute poverty at home, the Chinese government has also promoted the Belt and Road Initiative to help build a community with a shared future for mankind and assist developing countries to realize their poverty reduction goals according to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In global governance, the hegemonic practices of the US and other Western countries in the name of promoting human rights and democracy have been poisoning the international atmosphere. And although most developing countries suffer from it, they dare not speak out. These Western countries use so-called democracy to divide the people of developing countries and then interfere in their internal affairs, so as to make steady economic gains. Such acts are nothing but blatant bullying of developing countries and should be condemned by the international community.
Human rights should never become a tool for a handful of countries to reap unfair benefits. And the international community needs to unite against the politicization of human rights issues.
Zhang Wei, executive vice-director of, and a professor at, the Institute for Human Rights, China University of Political Science and Law
-The Daily Mail-China Daily News Exchange Item
