China News Agency, Wuhan, July 1st: Why do you say that China has made original contributions to the cause of human rights in the world?

　　——Interview with Wang Xigen, Dean of the Human Rights Law Research Institute of Huazhong University of Science and Technology

　　China News Agency reporter Ma Furong

　　In the practice of promoting the development of human rights, China has combined the Marxist concept of human rights with concrete reality, combined with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, learned from the achievements of the excellent civilization of mankind, and found a human rights development path that conforms to the trend of the times and suits its national conditions.

　　What original experience has China contributed to the development of human rights in the world?

What is the difference between China's and Western countries' views on human rights?

Recently, Wang Xigen, Dean of the Human Rights Law Research Institute of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "Dongxiwen" to interpret this.

The following is a summary of the interview transcript:

China News Service: Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, what stages has China's human rights development gone through?

What typical characteristics and experiences have been formed?

　　Wang Xigen: The founding of New China in 1949 marked the arrival of a new era of people's rights, the end of the history of exploitation, oppression and enslavement of the Chinese people since modern times, and a new beginning of human rights practice in a major eastern socialist country led by the Communist Party.

　　Since the founding of New China, the development of China's human rights cause has gone through three stages.

　　The first stage is that after the founding of New China, the Communist Party of China led the Chinese people to carry out socialist revolution and construction, established the basic socialist system, completed the most extensive and profound social transformation in Chinese history, formulated the first constitution, and established the foundation for human rights in China. The career development has laid the fundamental political premise and institutional foundation.

　　The second stage is that since the reform and opening up, the Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people to successfully open up the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which has greatly liberated and developed social productive forces. have been greatly developed.

　　The third stage is that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, the goals and tasks of poverty alleviation have been completed as scheduled, a moderately prosperous society has been built in an all-round way, and the cause of human rights in China has developed in an all-round way.

On December 7, 2017, the South-South Human Rights Forum held a sub-forum on the theme of "Building a Community of Shared Future for Mankind and Promoting Global Human Rights Governance" in Beijing.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Cui Nan

　　Adhering to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, respecting the dominant position of the people, proceeding from China's reality, adhering to the fundamental human rights that prioritize the rights to subsistence and development, adhering to the protection of human rights in accordance with the law, and insisting on actively participating in global human rights governance are six aspects of China's human rights development. The main feature is also the valuable experience China has gained in the practice of advancing the cause of human rights.

China News Service: In the practice of promoting the development of human rights, how do you understand the important assertion that China has creatively put forward "the happy life of the people is the greatest human right"?

　　Wang Xigen: Taking people's happy life as the greatest human right is a vivid and concrete manifestation of China's people-centered development thinking in the field of human rights, and it reflects China's new thinking and new concept of respecting and protecting human rights in the new era.

Specifically, it can be understood from three aspects.

　　First, from a logical point of view, this assertion is put forward under the specific historical background of changes in the main contradictions of Chinese society in the new era.

　　Entering the new era, the main contradiction in Chinese society has been transformed into the contradiction between the people's ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and insufficient development.

In this context, new changes have taken place in the connotation, extension and realization of human rights, and the quality and value orientation of human rights need to be optimized and improved urgently—that is, in the “right to an adequate standard of living” (the main contents include adequate food, clothing and On the basis of housing), it has evolved to realize the people's right to a better life.

On June 9, 2022, citizens eat in a restaurant in Fengtai District, Beijing.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Yu

　　The "Right to a Good Life" aims to develop towards the realization of democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice, security, environment and other needs based on the equal satisfaction of all people's material and cultural needs, so as to ensure that everyone enjoys a healthy, peaceful, decent and healthy life. The right to a happy life.

This has greatly expanded the definition of the concept of human rights in international human rights law, forming a new form of human rights and higher human rights demands.

On June 29, 2022, 3,917 houses in the second-phase resettlement site of Dengta Homestead, Shangpai Town, Feixi County, Anhui Province started to be divided. More than 10,000 residents will settle down in modern communities with complete facilities such as kindergartens and supermarkets to welcome a new life.

The picture shows residents visiting the resettlement community.

Photo by Chen Jiale published by China News Agency

　　Second, from the perspective of human rights standards, "human rights" is no longer a vague concept, but has become an object and resource that can be felt, known, enjoyed, and consumed in everyone's daily life, so that development results will be more, Benefit all people more equitably, and use "whether the people live a happy life" as the key criterion for judging whether human rights are good or not.

　　Third, from the perspective of value goals, it is consistent with China's two centenary goals and the long-term goal of 2035. It is a concrete manifestation of the Chinese Communist Party's governance for the people, its grasp of the evolutionary laws of human rights, and its scientific understanding.

China News Agency reporter: How does China guarantee the realization of the people's happy life, the greatest human right?

What are the specific manifestations in real life?

　　Wang Xigen: The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government insist on respecting and protecting human rights, adhere to the fundamental starting point and foothold of the people's rights, and provide a solid political guarantee for the realization of the people's right to a happy life; The right to a happy life lays the policy foundation; the national constitution and laws provide strong legal guarantees for the realization of human rights; through the implementation of the four-phase national human rights action plan, it promotes the rights of everyone, especially the vulnerable groups, and spreads the concept of human rights equality.

　　Human rights are a complex system, including the right to life, the right to health, the right to personal liberty, the right to freedom of speech, as well as economic, social, cultural, environmental and many other rights.

In the process of safeguarding the people's most important human right, a happy life, China adheres to the basic human rights with the right to subsistence and development as the first priority, and puts the right to life and health first.

　　A healthy life is the foundation of a good life.

China is committed to building a safe China, putting people's lives and safety first; implementing the Healthy China strategy and building the world's largest medical security system.

In the face of the new crown epidemic, China adheres to the principle of people first, life first, scientific prevention and control, and lawful prevention and control, and spares no effort to protect human life and dignity.

On August 21, 2021, middle school students in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province were vaccinated against the new coronavirus.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo

　　Upper decision decided by the economic background.

The realization of human rights always depends on certain economic foundations and social and cultural conditions.

As the world's largest developing country, development is the key to solving all of China's problems.

Centering on the fact that people's happy life is the greatest human right, China has embarked on a new path of human rights of "promoting human rights through development".

　　Since the reform and opening up, especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has paid close attention to the "bull nose" of development, implemented targeted poverty alleviation, and ended absolute poverty in a historic manner. The poverty reduction goal of the Development Agenda, more than 1.4 billion Chinese people as a whole have entered a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way and are moving towards common prosperity.

　　In conclusion, China's development achievements are the improvement of the lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese people, and the full realization of the equal participation and equal development rights of all people.

China News Service: What is the difference between Chinese and Western human rights?

How should we view the differences between each other?

　　Wang Xigen: The differences between Chinese and Western human rights concepts are mainly reflected in four aspects:

　　In terms of values, the West pursues "natural human rights", while China insists that human rights come from specific socioeconomic and material conditions.

　　In terms of rights, the West values ​​the right to freedom and equality, while China regards the right to subsistence and development as the primary basic human rights.

　　In terms of protection methods, reverse confrontation and ex post remedial nature are the basic attributes of Western-style human rights realization; China combines advance development and protection of human rights with ex post relief, and at the same time strengthens the protection of human rights judicial enforcement.

　　In terms of practice, the West focuses on civil liberties and political rights, while China provides all-round protection.

　　There is no single human rights model in the world, nor is there exactly the same human rights path.

Due to different systems and national conditions, there are objective differences in human rights views between China and the West.

When dealing with differences, there should be no confrontation and struggle, but dialogue, communication and cooperation should be carried out on the basis of adhering to principled positions, respecting the diversity of human rights cultures, and promoting exchanges and interactions between different human rights concepts.

　　The most basic principles of all human rights laws are sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and respect for the human rights development path of all countries.

Every country has the right to independently choose the path of human rights development and the mode of human rights practice, and must prevent and oppose those who pursue double standards on human rights and interfere in other countries' internal affairs by taking advantage of human rights.

China News Service: What original human rights experiences and human rights concepts has China contributed to the world?

As the world's largest developing country, what are the achievements of China's human rights cause for the progress of the world's human rights cause?

　　Wang Xigen: As the most populous country in the world, China has made a great contribution to the cause of human rights in the world by solving its own human rights issues.

Take poverty alleviation as an example. Through years of poverty alleviation and targeted poverty alleviation, China has completely eliminated absolute poverty and contributed to over 70% of the world's poverty reduction, which can be called a miracle in the history of human rights.

In April 2019, in Keyouzhong Banner, Xing'an League, Inner Mongolia, local women lined up to hold works and wait for the grade after completing the poverty alleviation embroidery training.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Cui Nan

　　But the contribution goes far beyond that.

Adhering to the people-centered approach, taking the people's happy life as the greatest human right, insisting that the rights to subsistence and development are the primary basic human rights, is China's original human rights concept and human rights experience that has contributed to the world's human rights cause.

It is precisely based on these human rights concepts and experiences that China has moved from poverty to food and clothing, to building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and then to building a modern socialist country in an all-round way, which has a good demonstration effect on the vast number of developing countries.

　　In addition, China has also fully shared its experience and practice in poverty reduction with the international community, and has always provided medical, educational, technical and project assistance to developing countries within its capacity to help them improve their human rights.

　　In promoting international human rights cooperation, China actively participates in various human rights activities and human rights affairs of the United Nations, promotes the improvement of global human rights governance, is committed to enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries in the United Nations and the entire international community, and respects developing countries. The human rights and human dignity of the people provide Chinese wisdom and experience for them to live a happy life, and make positive contributions to enriching the diversity of human civilization and advancing the development of human rights in the world.

(Finish)

Interviewee Profile:

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　Wang Xigen, Dean of National Human Rights Education and Training Base Huazhong University of Science and Technology Human Rights Law Research Institute, senior consultant expert on the right to development of the United Nations, and Vice President of Jurisprudence Research Association of China Law Society.

Mainly engaged in teaching and research in jurisprudence, rule of law and justice, human rights law, especially the right to development, law and economics, artificial intelligence and judicial big data.

He has published more than 200 papers and nearly 30 books in Chinese, English and Japanese in "Seeking Truth", "Chinese Legal Studies" and "Legal Studies".

Since 2007, he has been invited to the United Nations to participate in the drafting of important international documents, and relevant advice and suggestions have been included in the official documents of the United Nations for many times.