The Chinese
government always respects the purpose and principle of the
Charter of the United Nations for promoting and protecting
human rights, supports the UN efforts in this regard and
actively participates in the UN activities in the realm of
human rights.
The Chinese
government has always attached great importance to the
positive role of international conventions on human rights
in promoting and protecting human rights, and has approved
or acceded to 18 such conventions. The Chinese government
signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights in October 1997 and October 1998,
respectively. On February 28, 2001, the former covenant was
deliberated and ratified at the 20th meeting of the Ninth
NPC Standing Committee. This fully demonstrates the Chinese
government's positive attitude toward carrying out
international cooperation in human rights as well as China's
firm determination and confidence in promoting and
protecting human rights. In September 2000, the Chinese
government signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child
Prostitution and Child Pornography, becoming one of the
first signatory countries to this Convention. China has
always taken seriously those international conventions on
human rights it has ratified, adopted various measures to
fulfill its duties under these conventions and submitted
timely reports on their implementation, as stipulated by
related conventions, for deliberation and discussion by
related UN organs. In 2000, the Chinese government submitted
to the UN its eighth and ninth reports on the implementation
of the International Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial Discrimination and, in a timely manner,
presented to the UN its report on the implementation of the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. These
have helped the UN concerned departments and the
international community to gain a better understanding of
the human rights situation in China.
China attaches importance to
the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights in promoting and protecting human rights, and has
actively cooperated with the United Nations Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights. In March 2000, the
Chinese government and the Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights together successfully sponsored the Eighth
Symposium on Human Rights in the Asian-Pacific Region in
Beijing, with representatives from over 40 Asian-Pacific
countries attending. Chinese President Jiang Zemin wrote a
letter congratulating the opening of the symposium, and
Vice-Premier of the State Council Qian Qichen attended and
spoke at the symposium. Mary Robinson, the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, made a special trip to China
to attend the symposium. In November 2000, Mary Robinson
visited China again on invitation. During her stay in China,
President Jiang Zemin and Vice-Premier Qian Qichen met with
her, respectively, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry signed
with her the Memorandum of Understanding Between the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of
China and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights on the Mutual Agreement to Cooperate in the
Development and Implementation of Technical Cooperation
Programs. It is defined in the Memorandum that China will
carry out project cooperation with the UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights in the two coming years in the
fields of judicial administration, human rights education
and legal system, as well as the fulfillment of the right to
development and the economic, social and cultural rights.
China has actively carried out cooperation with the special
rapporteurs and working groups on thematic issues of the UN
Commission on Human Rights. It has twice invited the Working
Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Commission on Human
Rights to visit China, and the Special Rapporteur on
Religious Intolerance has also visited China on invitation.
China has, in a timely and earnest manner, answered the
letters on human rights transmitted by the special
rapporteurs of the Commission on Human Rights and other UN
human rights mechanisms, clearing up a number of facts and
helping the UN and international community toward a better
understanding of China. In addition, China and the UN
Development Program also jointly sponsored an international
symposium on the problem of cults, to carry out exchanges
and explore on how to deal with cults and safeguard human
rights by various countries.
China has consistently
advocated carrying out dialogues and exchanges by all
countries on the human rights issue on the basis of equality
and mutual respect so as to enhance understanding, promote
consensus and reduce differences. In February and September
2000, respectively, China held the ninth and tenth dialogues
on human rights with the European Union. China and the
European Union held the fourth and fifth judicial symposiums
in May and December, respectively. In February and October
respectively, China and Britain held the fourth and fifth
dialogues on human rights. In August, China held its fourth
human rights dialogue with Australia. In October, China and
Canada held the sixth dialogue on human rights. In May,
China and Norway jointly held the fourth round-table meeting
on human rights and the rule of law. In June, China, Canada
and Norway held the Third Symposium on Human Rights in
Bangkok, Thailand. In 2000, China held consultations and
exchanges on human rights with Cuba, Laos and many other
developing countries. In October, China successfully held
the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation -- Ministerial
Conference Beijing 2000 in Beijing, with Chinese President
Jiang Zemin and four heads of state from Africa, nearly 80
ministers from 45 African countries and leaders of related
international and regional organizations attending. In the
Sino- African Cooperative Forum Beijing Declaration adopted
at the meeting, it is emphasized that the principle of
universality of human rights and basic freedoms should be
respected, and the diversity of the world and the principle
of seeking common ground while reserving differences must be
safeguarded; that each country has the right to choose
different ways and modes of promoting and protecting human
rights domestically; and that politicalizing the issue of
human rights and attaching human rights conditions to
economic aid are themselves violations of human rights, and
therefore should be firmly opposed.
The progress of human rights
is an important aspect of the social development of all
countries, and it is a historical process of continuous
advance. China is a developing country with a huge
population. Due to restrictions of nature, history, level of
development and other factors, the human rights cause in
China is in the process of developing, and there is still
much room for further improvement in its human rights
situation. In the light of China's national conditions and
according to the people's wishes, the Chinese government
aims to build a democratic and modernized country with a
high level of civilization under the rule of law, actively
learn from the beneficial experiences and cultural
achievements of other countries, and, while maintaining
social stability, expedite development, strengthen the
democratic and legal systems, promote social ethical
progress, and continuously push forward the development of
the human rights cause in China. At the same time, China
will, as always, actively participate in international
activities in the realm of human rights, carry out
wide-ranging cooperation and exchanges with other countries,
and make its due contribution to promoting the healthy
development of the international human rights cause.
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