At the recent high-level meeting of the UN Human Rights Council 49th Session, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward China's four-point proposal for the promotion and protection of human rights. In recent years, China has continued its actions in respecting and protecting human rights and has made great achievements.
What is China's distinctive experience in promoting and protecting human rights? What are the differences between China's human rights claims and those of the West? Does China's experience in promoting human rights development have any implications for developing countries? Professor Zhang Wanhong was invited to discuss with two other human rights experts. The followings are the remarks of Prof. Zhang Wanhong.
What is China's distinctive experience in promoting and protecting human rights?
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out at the high-level meeting of the UN Human Rights Council 49th Session: "It is the persistent pursuit of the Chinese Communist Party to respect and protect human rights. The 770 million rural poor people in China have been freed from poverty and we have built a moderately prosperous society in all respects. In the fight against the Covid-19, we have put our lives first and protected the life and health of every person."
Zhang Wanhong: In recent years, China has insisted on respecting and safeguarding human rights as an important task. National character is the most distinctive feature of China's human rights development policy. China has fully stimulated the enthusiasm and creativity of the general public and made the public the main participants in the development of the human rights.
What are the deeper intentions of the Western and U.S. speculation on the human rights issues concerning Xinjiang and Hong Kong?
According to the website of Lianhe Zaobao, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized some parties with ulterior motives for continuously speculating on China's Xinjiang affairs and stressed that China welcomes people from all countries without prejudice to visit Xinjiang. A Bloomberg expert commented that "China is shifting its diplomatic mindset and adopting a more assertive response in the face of Western interference in its internal affairs."
Zhang Wanhong: A few politicians and "scholars" in the US and the western world often use "human rights" as a pretext to achieve other political purposes. The American scholar Brzezinski once claimed that "advocating respect for human rights is so influential that it can accelerate the process of communism's demise." This passage directly pointed to the attempt of a few politicians in the U.S. and the Western world to politicize and instrumentalize human rights.
China should continue to fight against the double standards of other countries and the use of human rights as a political tool to interfere in the internal affairs of another country. At the same time, China shall be able to enhance the international influence of China's human rights.
Does China's experience in promoting human rights development have any implications for developing countries?
Aslan Ebassidze, vice chair of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, said that developing countries account for more than 80 percent of the global population, and the development of global human rights cannot be achieved without the joint efforts of developing countries. At the same time, China is expected to continue to play an active role in the development of international human rights.
Zhang Wanhong: The important experience of China's human rights development is that cooperation promotes development and development promotes human rights protection. In addition, China's human rights practice once again proves that the protection of human rights must be integrated with national realities. The development of the human rights must be based on the national conditions and needs of the people. Countries around the world shall firmly promote the democratization of international relations and adhere to the concept of win-win cooperation.
Edited by Wang Yuting & Wu Liuqing
