China recognizes and respects the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations related to the protection and promotion of human rights. It appreciates and supports the efforts of the UN in promoting universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and takes an active part in UN activities in the human rights field. China advocates mutual respect for state sovereignty and maintains that priority should be given to the safeguarding of the right of the people of the developing countries to subsistence and development, thus creating the necessary conditions for people all over the world to enjoy various human rights. China is opposed to interfering in other countries' internal affairs on the pretext of human rights and has made unremitting efforts to eliminate various abnormal phenomena and strengthen international cooperation in the field of human rights.
In April 1955, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai signed the "Draft
Final Communique of the Asian-African Conference" (also known as the "Bandung
Declaration") at the Asian and African Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia. The
communique declared that the conference fully supports the fundamental principles
concerning human rights laid down in the UN Charter, and made the "respect for
fundamental human rights and for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations" the first of the ten principles of peaceful
In his speech during the general debate at the 41st session of the United Nations General Assembly held in 1986, the Chinese foreign minister, when mentioning the 20th anniversary of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, pointed out that "the two covenants have played a positive role in realizing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter concerning respect for human rights. The Chinese government has consistently supported these purposes and principles." In September 1988, the Chinese foreign minister pointed out in his speech at the 43rd session of the United Nations General Assembly that the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" is "the first international instrument which systematically sets forth the specific contents regarding respect for and protection of fundamental human rights. Despite its historical limitations, the Declaration has exerted a farreaching influence on the development of the post-war international human rights activities and played a positive role in this regard."
China has taken an active part in the UN activities in the sphere of
human rights. Since resuming its lawful seat in the United Nations in 1971, China has sent
its delegation to attend every session of the UN Economic and Social Council and of the UN
General Assembly, and has taken an active part in deliberation of human rights issues and
stated its views on the issue of human rights, making its contributions to enriching the
connotation of the concept of human rights. Chinese delegations
China has taken an active part in drafting and formulating
international legal instruments on human rights within the UN, and has sent delegates to
participate in working groups charged with drafting these instruments, including the UN
Convention on the Rights of Children, the International Convention on the Protection of
the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families, the Convention against Torture and
Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Declaration on the Right
and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect
Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the Declaration on the
Protection of Rights of Persons Belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic
Minorities. The meetings of these working groups paid much attention to the suggestions
and amendments put forward by China. Since 1981 China has participated in every session of
the governmental experts group organized by the UN Commission on Human Rights to draft the
Declaration on the Right to Development and made positive suggestions until the
Declaration on the Right to Development was passed by the 41st session of the UN General
Assembly in 1986. China energetically supported the Commission on Human Rights in
Since 1980 the Chinese government has successively signed, ratified and acceded to seven UN human rights conventions, namely the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crimes of Apartheid, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Chinese government has always submitted reports on the implementation of the related conventions, and seriously and earnestly performed the obligations it has undertaken.
China has always upheld justice and made unremitting efforts to safeguard the right of third world countries to national self-determination and to stop massive infringements on human rights. As is well known, China has for many years made unremitting efforts to seek a just and reasonable resolution of a series of major human rights issues, including the questions of Cambodia, Afghanistan, the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, South Africa and Namibia, and Panama.
China pays close attention to the issue of the right to development.
China believes that as history develops, the concept and connotation of human rights also
develop constantly. The Declaration on the Right to Development provides that human rights
refer to both individual rights and collective rights. This means a breakthrough in the
traditional concept of human rights and represents a result won through many years
Over a long period in the UN activities in the human rights field,
China has firmly opposed to any country making use of the issue of human rights to sell
its own values, ideology, political standards and mode of development, and to any country
interfering in the internal affairs of other countries on the pretext of human rights, the
internal affairs of developing countries in particular, and so hurting the sovereignty and
dignity of many developing countries. Together with other developing countries, China has
waged a resolute struggle against all such acts of interference, and upheld justice by
speaking out from a sense of fairness. China has always maintained that human rights are
essentially matters within the
China is in favor of strengthening international cooperation in the realm of human rights on the basis of mutual understanding and seeking a common ground while reserving differences. However, no country in its effort to realize and protect human rights can take a route that is divorced from its history and its economic, political and cultural realities. A human rights system must be ratified and protected by each sovereign state through its domestic legislation. As pointed out in a resolution of the UN General Assembly at its 45th session: "Each State has the right freely to choose and develop its political, social, economic and cultural systems." It is also noted in the resolution of the 46th conference on human rights that no single mode of development is applicable to all cultures and peoples. It is neither proper nor feasible for any country to judge other countries by the yardstick of its own mode or to impose its own mode on others. Therefore, the purpose of international protection of human rights and related activities should be to promote normal cooperation in the international field of human rights and international harmony, mutual understanding and mutual respect. Consideration should be given to the differing views on human rights held by countries with different political, economic and social systems, as well as different historical, religious and cultural backgrounds. International human rights activities should be carried on in the spirit of seeking common ground while reserving differences, mutual respect, and the promotion of understanding and cooperation.
China has always held that to effect international protection of
human rights, the international community should interfere with and stop acts that
endanger world peace and
There is now a change over the world pattern from the old to the new, and the world is more turbulent than before. Hegemonism and power politics continue to exist and endanger world peace and development. Interference in other countries' internal affairs and the pushing of power politics on the pretext of human rights are obstructing the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms. In face of such a world situation, China is ready to work with the international community in a continued and unremitting effort to build a just and reasonable new order of international relations and to realize the purpose of the United Nations to uphold and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms.