Facts and figures about China's progress in human rights
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China's State Council Information Office on Sunday issued a white paper titled Progress in China's Human Rights in 2009.
The following are some figures and facts:
-- In 2009 the Chinese government promulgated and implemented the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010). This was the first national action plan in China with human rights as the theme.
-- In 2009 the per capita net income of rural residents was 5,153 yuan (769.1 U.S. dollars), and the per capita disposable income of urban residents was 17,175 yuan, an increase of 8.5 percent and 9.8 percent respectively over the previous year.
-- In 2009 the China's input of money for poverty reduction programs in rural areas increased by 3 billion yuan over the previous year to 19.73 billion yuan.
-- In 2009 the total health care expenditure in China reached 1.72 trillion yuan, making up 4.96 percent of China's GDP, and the per capita health care expenditure was 1,192 yuan.
-- From January 2009 to March 2010 the National People' s Congress (NPC) and its Standing Committee examined 25 laws and draft decisions concerning laws, and adopted 18 of them. They amended eight laws, including the Electoral Law and the Postal Law, and further guaranteed human rights through legislation.
-- In China there are over a million bulletin board services (BBS) and some 220 million bloggers. According to a sample survey, each day people post over three million messages via BBS, news commentary sites, blogs, etc., and over 66 percent of Chinese netizens frequently place postings to discuss various topics, and to fully express their opinions and represent their interests.
-- In 2009 the number of letters from and visits of the people for petition dropped by 2.7 percent over the previous year, a decrease for the fifth consecutive year.
-- By the end of 2009 some 3,274 legal aid organizations and 58,031 legal aid service centers had been set up at the provincial, city and county levels nationwide, providing convenient access to legal aid services.
-- In 2009 China appropriated 42 billion yuan for the increase of job opportunities, a rise of 66.7 percent over the previous year.
-- In 2009 the number of people participating in basic medical insurance topped 1.2 billion, a national coverage rate of over 90 percent.
-- By the end of 2009 some 99.7 percent of the school-age population had access to nine-year compulsory education, and 99.5 percent of counties in China had provided nine-year compulsory education.
-- In 2009 China invested 1.24 billion yuan for the socioeconomic development of the areas inhabited by ethnic-minority people.
-- By 2009 there were 3,474 homes for people with disabilities in China, where 110,000 disabled people were taken care of.
