Unswervingly follow the path of China's human rights development to better promote the development of China's human rights cause
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Xi Jinping
Today, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee conducted the thirty-seventh collective study on the development path of human rights in China.
The purpose of this study is to summarize the achievements in the development of human rights theory and practice in my country in the new era, analyze the situation of struggle in the field of international human rights, unswervingly follow the path of human rights development in my country, and better promote the development of human rights in China.
It is the common pursuit of human society to protect human life, value and dignity, and realize human rights for everyone.
Chinese culture has always emphasized respect and care for human beings. Confucius's "government in ancient times, love others is great", Mencius's "one who wins people for the world is called benevolence", Xunzi's people are "the most precious in the world", and Mozi's "benevolence". Both love each other”, all emphasize the self-worth of human beings.
The ancients also said: "Among all things, people are the most valuable." "Those who do great things must be people-oriented." "Those who manage the world are people-oriented." Human beings are created equal and have inalienable rights, which promoted the bourgeois revolution in Britain, the United States, France and other countries.
Marx and Engels affirmed the historical and progressive significance of the bourgeois human rights theory, and at the same time thoroughly criticized the social, historical and class nature of their denial of human rights.
Marx pointed out that "individuals are social beings" and "rights must never go beyond the economic structure of the society and the cultural development of the society constrained by the economic structure".
Marx and Engels emphasized that in capitalist society, "man is no longer the slave of man, but has become the slave of things"; "In place of the old bourgeois society with classes and class antagonisms, there will be such a Commonwealth, where the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all”.
Respecting and protecting human rights is the unremitting pursuit of Chinese Communists.
Since its establishment, our party has held high the banner of "struggling for democracy and human rights", and clearly declared its proposition of saving the country and the people and striving for human rights.
The history of the party's century of struggle runs through the party's unremitting efforts to unite and lead the people to strive for human rights, respect human rights, protect human rights, and develop human rights.
During the period of the new democratic revolution, the period of socialist revolution and construction, and the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, our party has firmly grasped the original mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and has led the people to achieve revolution. With the great victory of construction and reform, the Chinese people have become the masters of the country, society and their own destiny, and the protection of the Chinese people's rights to subsistence, development and other basic rights has continued to advance.
On May 25, 2022, President Xi Jinping met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in Beijing by video.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Huanchi / photo
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we have insisted on respecting and protecting human rights as an important task in the governance of the country, and promoted the historic achievement of human rights in our country.
We achieved the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, historically solved the problem of absolute poverty, and laid a more solid material foundation for the development of my country's human rights cause.
We continue to develop people's democracy throughout the process, promote the protection of human rights and the rule of law, and resolutely safeguard social fairness and justice, so that the people enjoy broader, fuller, and more comprehensive democratic rights.
We have promoted the realization of more adequate and higher-quality employment, built the world's largest education system, social security system, and medical and health care system, and vigorously improved the quality of people's living environment.
We insisted on putting people first and life first, and responded vigorously to the COVID-19 outbreak, protecting people's lives and health to the greatest extent possible.
We fully implement the party's policies on ethnicity and religion, insist that all ethnic groups are equal, respect the religious beliefs of the masses, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people of all ethnic groups.
We have deepened the reform of the judicial system, strengthened the construction of a safe China and a China under the rule of law, carried out in-depth education and rectification of political and legal teams, carried out a special campaign against gangsterism and evil, severely cracked down on various types of illegal and criminal activities, maintained long-term social stability, and effectively protected the lives and properties of the people. .
my country is the only major country in the world that has continuously formulated and implemented the four-phase national human rights action plan.
We actively participate in global human rights governance, and have made Chinese contributions and provided Chinese solutions to the development of human rights in the world.
On June 8, 2022, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected Sichuan.
This is the afternoon of the 8th. When Xi Jinping inspected Yibin College, he learned about the company's recruitment needs and the graduate signing rate from teachers, students, and company leaders who were participating in the company's recruitment seminar.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xueren / photo
In the practice of promoting the development of my country's human rights cause, we have combined the Marxist concept of human rights with China's concrete reality and excellent traditional Chinese culture, summed up the successful experience of our party in leading the people to respect and protect human rights, and learned from the achievements of human civilization. , and embarked on a human rights development path that conforms to the trend of the times and suits the national conditions of the country.
This road has the following main characteristics.
First, adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China.
Serving the people wholeheartedly is the fundamental purpose of our party.
The leadership of the Communist Party of China and my country's socialist system have determined the socialist nature of my country's human rights cause, determined that we can ensure that the people are the masters of the country, adhere to the equal sharing of human rights, insist on planning human rights construction with systematic thinking, and promote the all-round development of human rights. Continue to realize, maintain and develop the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the people.
The second is to uphold respect for the dominant position of the people.
People's nature is the most prominent feature of China's human rights development path.
Human rights are not privileges enjoyed by some or a few people, but universal human rights enjoyed by the broad masses of the people.
We protect the people's democratic rights, fully stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the people, make the people the main participants, promoters and beneficiaries of the development of human rights, and effectively promote the all-round development of people and the common prosperity of all people. substantial progress.
The third is to stick to the reality of our country.
The human rights development path of each country must be determined according to its own national conditions and the aspirations of its own people.
We combine the principle of universality of human rights with China's actual conditions, and promote the development of human rights in the light of my country's national conditions and the demands of the people, so as to ensure that the people enjoy extensive, full, real, specific, and effective human rights in accordance with the law.
Fourth, adhere to the basic human rights with the right to subsistence and the right to development as the first priority.
Survival is the basis for the enjoyment of all human rights, and a happy life for the people is the greatest human right.
We fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development concept, adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, insist that development is for the people, development depends on the people, and development results are shared by the people, and we strive to solve the most direct and practical interests of the people. Unbalanced and insufficient development, strive to achieve higher-quality, more efficient, more equitable, more sustainable, and more secure development, and make the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security more fulfilling and more secure in the process of development. Safer and more sustainable.
Fifth, adhere to the protection of human rights in accordance with the law.
The rule of law is the most effective guarantee of human rights.
We insist that everyone is equal before the law, respect and protect human rights in all aspects of legislation, law enforcement, judiciary, and law-abiding, accelerate the improvement of a legal system that reflects fair rights, fair opportunities, and fair rules, protect citizens' personal rights, property rights, and personality rights, and protect citizens. Participate in democratic elections, democratic consultations, democratic decision-making, democratic management, democratic supervision and other basic political rights, protect citizens' economic, cultural, social, environmental and other rights, and continuously improve the level of legal protection of human rights.
Sixth, insist on actively participating in global human rights governance.
The development of human rights is the common cause of all mankind.
Human rights protection is not the best, only better.
All countries have the right to independently choose the path of human rights development. Different civilizations and countries should respect each other, tolerate each other, communicate with each other and learn from each other.
We carry forward the common values of all mankind, practice genuine multilateralism, actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system including human rights, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The above six points are not only the main features of China's human rights development, but also the valuable experience we have gained in the practice of advancing my country's human rights cause.
Democracy is not a decoration, it is not for decoration.
Human rights are not decorations, nor are they for decoration.
In recent years, some Western countries have fallen into the predicament of fierce political party fighting, government dishonesty, social disorder, and out-of-control epidemics. Political polarization, polarization between the rich and the poor, and ethnic antagonisms have intensified. Racism, populism, and xenophobia have prevailed, and human rights issues have become increasingly prominent.
However, under the banners of so-called "universal human rights" and "human rights are higher than sovereignty", they forcibly promote Western democratic human rights concepts and systems in the world, and use human rights issues to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Long-term social unrest and people's displacement.
Now, my country has embarked on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way and marching toward the second centenary goal.
We must coordinate both domestic and international situations, deeply understand the importance and urgency of doing a good job in human rights work, pay more attention to respecting and protecting human rights, and promote the healthy development of my country's human rights cause.
To focus on the following aspects of work.
First, to promote the all-round development of human rights.
I said, "The process of realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is essentially the process of realizing social fairness and justice and continuously promoting the development of human rights."
It is necessary to adhere to the development path of human rights in China, comply with the people's expectations for a high-quality and beautiful life, continuously meet the people's growing demands for rights in various aspects, and coordinate the promotion of economic development, democracy and the rule of law, ideology and culture, fairness and justice, social governance, and environmental protection. , do a good job in all aspects of employment, income distribution, education, social security, medical care, housing, old-age care, and child support, and comprehensively improve human rights in the coordinated development of material civilization, political civilization, spiritual civilization, social civilization, and ecological civilization. assurance level.
Second, strengthen the protection of human rights and the rule of law.
At present, there are still many shortcomings in the legal protection of human rights in my country.
It is necessary to deepen the reform of the rule of law, improve the legal protection mechanism for human rights, and realize the respect and protection of human rights in the entire chain, process and all-round coverage of legislation, law enforcement, justice, and law-abiding, so that the people can participate in every legal system, every law enforcement decision, Fairness and justice are felt in every judicial case.
It is necessary to systematically study, plan and solve the outstanding problems in the field of the rule of law, which are strongly reflected by the people, treat the people's demands fairly in accordance with the law, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of things that hurt the people's feelings and damage the people's rights and interests due to judicial injustice.
All acts of infringing upon the legitimate rights of the masses, and all phenomena of indifference and indifference to violations of the rights and interests of the masses must be seriously investigated and punished according to discipline and law, and they must be resolutely held accountable.
From September 13 to 14, 2021, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, State President, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected Yulin City, Shaanxi Province.
On the afternoon of the 14th, Xi Jinping had a cordial exchange with the elderly in the village at the Mutual Aid and Happiness Home in Haojiaqiao Village, Zhangjiabian Town, Suide County.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xueren / photo
Third, carry forward the correct concept of human rights.
It is necessary to widely carry out human rights advocacy and knowledge dissemination through various forms, various channels and various occasions, and create a good atmosphere for respecting and protecting human rights in the whole society.
It is necessary to carry out education on human rights knowledge among all the people, especially the young people, and incorporate the Marxist concept of human rights and the education of contemporary Chinese human rights into the national education system.
It is necessary to strengthen human rights knowledge training for public officials, especially grass-roots public officials, such as public security, courts, procuratorates, civil affairs, social security, health care, taxation, market supervision and other departments.
It is necessary to give full play to the advantages of group organizations to promote the protection of the rights and interests of specific groups such as women and children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Relying on the vivid practice of human rights development in my country, we should refine original concepts and develop our human rights discipline system, academic system, and discourse system.
It is necessary to strengthen the construction of human rights think tanks and human rights research bases, and strive to cultivate a group of high-end human rights experts with solid theories, excellent academic skills, familiarity with international rules, and can tell the story of human rights in China.
Fourth, actively promote global human rights governance.
"Where virtue is, the world returns to it", "Where righteousness is, the world goes to it".
We must carry forward the common values of all mankind, adhere to the concepts of equality and mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutual learning, win-win cooperation and common development, and promote the development of global human rights governance in a more fair, just, reasonable and inclusive direction.
It is necessary to actively participate in UN human rights affairs, extensively conduct international human rights exchanges and cooperation with other countries, especially developing countries, and play a constructive role.
It is necessary to give full play to the roles of the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the China Human Rights Development Foundation, and to increase its influence on multilateral human rights institutions such as the United Nations.
Fifth, actively carry out international human rights struggle.
Human rights are historical, concrete and realistic, and human rights cannot be talked about without the social and political conditions and historical and cultural traditions of different countries.
When evaluating whether a country has human rights, it cannot be judged by the standards of other countries, let alone double standards, or even use human rights as a political tool to interfere in other countries' internal affairs.
To grasp the strategic initiative.
We must focus on telling the story of human rights in China well, and use visual and concrete expressions to enhance the attractiveness, appeal and influence of contemporary Chinese human rights views.
It is necessary to consolidate the international consensus on human rights to the greatest extent and occupy the moral commanding heights of human rights.
It is necessary to guide overseas Chinese enterprises to enhance their human rights awareness and self-confidence, and effectively deal with the abuse of human rights planned by some Western countries.
From July 21 to 23, 2021, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, came to Tibet to congratulate the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, and visited and expressed condolences to officials and people of all ethnic groups in Tibet.
This is the afternoon of the 22nd, Xi Jinping inspected the Drepung Monastery in the western suburbs of Lhasa.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Huanchi / photo
Party committees (party groups) at all levels should shoulder the historical responsibility of promoting the development of my country's human rights cause, strengthen organizational leadership, take the initiative to act, and earnestly implement the national human rights action plan.
Cadres at all levels, especially leading cadres, must consciously study the Marxist concept of human rights and the contemporary Chinese concept of human rights, raise their awareness, enhance their self-confidence, and take the initiative to do a good job in respecting and protecting human rights.
All regions, departments and industries should enhance the awareness of respecting and protecting human rights, and form a joint force to promote the development of my country's human rights cause.
※This is the speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping on February 25, 2022 at the thirty-seventh collective study session of the Political Bureau of the Nineteenth Central Committee.