A senior government official said yesterday that China has made
important contributions to the cause of human rights and will
continue to promote the issue.?
The Chinese people had suffered greatly from aggression by
imperialist powers, fighting among warlords and poverty, said Vice
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. That's why they are keenly aware of
the value of peace, development and human rights, he
said.?
Addressing the inaugural session of the UN Human Rights Council
in Geneva, Yang said the Chinese government is making great efforts
to promote human rights and significant progress has been made.
"The founding of the People's Republic of China brought about a
fundamental change in the country's destiny and ushered in a new
era with the people becoming the masters of the country," he
said.
"In 1978 China embarked on a path of reform, opening-up and
modernization, and in just?28 years it has completed a journey
that took many countries more than 100 years," he noted.?
Yang?said that since 1978 China has made two quantum leaps
-- from languishing in poverty to being free from want, and then on
to moderate prosperity.
"As a result the Chinese now enjoy unprecedented freedom in
movement, employment, access to information, their beliefs and
choices about how they live their lives," he said.
Yang said China gives high priority to realizing the value,
rights and freedom of the people, to raising the quality of their
lives and helping them achieve their development potential.
Greater efforts?are also being made by the Chinese
government in light of the country's moves to promote social
justice, protect disadvantaged groups, improve democracy and the
rule of law, and advance political reform in an active and prudent
manner.
"We have formally included the phrase, 'The state respects and
protects human rights' into the fundamental law of the country --
the Constitution," Yang said.
"Acting on this constitutional principle the Chinese government
will continue to promote human rights, honor its international
obligations on this issue and conduct dialog and exchanges with
other countries on the subject on the basis of equality and mutual
respect," he added.
The first session of the Human Rights Council started on Monday
and runs until June 30.
Ministers and high-level delegates from more than 100 countries
will address the session giving their views on the promotion of
human rights and the future work of the council.
The new 47-member human rights body has replaced the former
53-country Human Rights Commission that accomplished much in
promoting the cause but in recent years suffered from a dip in
credibility.
"It's incumbent upon all UN member states, particularly the
newly elected members of the council, to demonstrate political
commitment and exert real efforts to make the council both dynamic
and effective," Yang told the session.
China hopes the new council will go further than its predecessor
along the right track and make a greater contribution to improving
the well-being of people, he added.
He said China is ready to work with other council members in a
responsible and constructive manner with a view to formulating a
fair set of procedural rules. China also wants to explore feasible
working methods through consultation to enable the council to get
off to a good start.
(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2006)