A high ranking Chinese official on Wednesday said China will
continue to seek international cooperation on protecting human
rights.
"China advocates and actively promotes dialogue and cooperation
on human rights affairs among nations on an equal footing and on
the basis of mutual respect," said Jiang Zhenghua, vice-chairman of
the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, at a
Beijing international human rights forum.
Jiang acknowledged China's efforts to protect human rights still
faced many obstacles.
"The ideal goal of human rights for everyone put forward in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains an arduous mission
with a distant end," he said.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the adoption by the
United Nations of the International Convention on Civil and
Political Rights and the International Convention on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights.
It is also the 15th anniversary of China's first white paper on
human rights, Human Rights in China. As the first such government
document, it was a vigorous push for the progress of human rights
theory and practice in China, officials said.
However, China has often been criticized by overseas
organizations for its inadequate efforts in protecting ordinary
people's rights.
Chinese officials contend that the state has strived to ensure
basic food and clothing for the 1.3 billion populations. Many
Chinese have seen a phenomenal rise in living standards in the past
three decades.
For the past 27 years, China had managed to keep economic growth
at an average annual rate of nine percent, Jiang said, adding the
progress of a nation's human rights cause depended on a harmonious
and orderly social environment.
Jiang said China had ratified and joined 22 international
conventions on human rights and had honored its commitments to
these conventions through domestic legislation and judicial and
administrative measures.
Nations should seek common development with understanding and
respect, and build a harmonious world to accommodate many kinds of
societies and honor human rights for all.
"We should respect each nation's right to choose its own social
system and way of development, respect diversity of the world and
its societies, enhance dialogue and exchanges between different
societies, and promote democratization of international relations
in the spirit of equality and openness," Jiang said.
The three-day symposium held by China Society for Human Rights
Studies attracted more than 70 experts, scholars and officials from
19 countries and regions.
(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2006)