Advancing the Human Rights Cause of China in the Process of Chinese Modernization

Introductory Statement by Head of the Chinese Delegation
Ambassador Chen Xu on the Adoption of the UPR Outcome Report on
China at the 56th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

Geneva, July 4, 2024

Mr. President, 
Fellow Delegates, 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In January, China attended the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in an open and candid manner, and conducted constructive dialogue with all member states. Over 120 countries commended the progress in China's human rights cause, and fully recognized China's tireless efforts and historic achievements in the promotion and protection of human rights, which was objectively recorded in the Working Group's report. On behalf of the Chinese government, I wish to once again express our thanks to all member states who constructively participated in the review process, to Mr. President for chairing the meeting, and to the troika-United Arab Emirates, Albania and Malawi-and the Secretariat for your hard work.

The Chinese side attaches high importance to the 428 recommendations raised by the delegates during the review, and has established an inter-agency mechanism to look at them one by one. China has decided to accept 290 constructive recommendations that are suited to China's conditions and conducive to its human rights development, including consolidating the achievements in poverty alleviation, improving people's well-being, ensuring people's running of the country, improving legal safeguards for human rights, promoting science, education, culture and public health, advancing the cause of women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly, implementing the national human rights action plan, and actively engaging in international human rights cooperation. The number and proportion of recommendations accepted by China are among the highest in major countries, covering various rights such as civil and political rights; economic, social and cultural rights; and the right to development. This is a clear testimony to China's resolve to respect and protect human rights. 

That said, among the recommendations that China did not accept, some are in general consistent with what China needs to work on in the future, yet the conditions for implementation are not ripe. Regarding these recommendations, China has taken the positions of "noted" or "partially accepted." Regarding some recommendations that are politically motivated, based on disinformation, ideologically biased, or interfering in China's judicial sovereignty, China firmly rejects them.

The Chinese side wishes to reiterate that the UPR is an important platform for countries to conduct equal-footed and candid exchanges on human rights issues and engage in constructive dialogue and cooperation within the U.N. framework. The purpose of the UPR is to increase exchanges and mutual learning and promote common progress. The Chinese side is willing to work with all parties for a constructive review and for maintaining the dialogue-oriented and cooperative nature of the UPR while upholding the principles of objectivity, fairness, non-selectivity, non-confrontation and non-politicization.

Mr. President, 

At the review in January, I announced 30 new measures of human rights protection by the Chinese government. Some of the efforts have witnessed initial progress. Let me give you some brief updates:

We continue to improve legal safeguards for human rights. In June, the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress deliberated on the draft of a preschool education law for the second time. The law underscores the direction of public-interest and inclusiveness of preschool education, and has incorporated provisions on ensuring access to inclusive preschool education for children in rural areas. The law strengthens the protection of the rights and interests of preschool children.

We strengthen the protection of the rights of workers in new forms of employment. In February, the Chinese government published guidelines on the protection of the rights of workers in new forms of employment. The document guides the exploration and innovation of mechanisms for rights protection and services that suit the feature of new employment forms, with a view to effectively protecting the rights and interests of workers in new employment forms. 

We endeavor to implement the Outline for Women's Development in China and the Outline on the Development of Chinese Children. The latest figures published in March show that China's infant mortality rate has further dropped to 4.5‰, the mortality rate of children under the age of five has dropped to 6.2‰, and the maternal mortality rate has fallen to 15.1 per 100,000. China's main health indicators are among the top in middle and high-income countries. 

We continue to improve rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities. On June 22, the world's first university of rehabilitation opened in Qingdao, Shandong Province. The university will start enrolling undergraduate students in 2024. This new research university will make positive contribution to the research of rehabilitation science and cultivation of high-caliber rehabilitation talents.

We invited the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights of the Human Rights Council to visit China in May. She visited Beijing, Xinjiang and Shenzhen, and conducted exchanges with relevant Chinese government departments, companies, industrial associations and social organizations. The Special Rapporteur pointed out that the unilateral sanctions imposed on China by relevant countries are against the international law, and cause negative impact on human rights. She called on these countries to remove or suspend all unilateral sanctions on China.

We have strengthened exchanges and cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). We invited OHCHR officials to visit China in May, and had in-depth exchanges with them on "counter-terrorism and human rights" and "human rights protection in the criminal justice system". OHCHR officials visited China's legislative and judicial departments and relevant human rights protection projects, and increased their understanding of China's human rights concepts, practices and achievements. We are staying in touch with the OHCHR on furthering the cooperation.

We have conducted human rights dialogues and consultations with multiple countries and regional organizations. In June, during the China-EU Human Rights Dialogue held in China, the EU delegation visited the Xizang Autonomous Region, where they visited projects in areas such as economic and social development, ethnicity, religion, education, culture and legal safeguards for human rights. Both sides view this dialogue as candid, in-depth and conducive to enhancing mutual understanding. 

We advocate dialogue and cooperation in the Human Rights Council, and make strong voices against politicization of human rights and double standards. We led joint statements on advancing the development of artificial intelligence to promote the rights of persons with disabilities, children and women, and have worked to steer global human rights governance toward greater fairness, justice, equity and inclusiveness.

Mr. President, 

Progress and development in human rights is achieved in China with each passing day. The above new developments are only an epitome of the rapidly developing human rights cause in China. As ancient Chinese philosopher Xunzi put it, "A long journey can be completed only by taking one step at a time; an ocean can be filled only by embracing one stream at a time." This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is the every bit of achievement made in every single day in the past 75 years by the Chinese people, rallied behind and led by the Communist Party of China, that has converged into the enormous achievements of China's human rights cause. 

We have eradicated absolute poverty once and for all, bringing moderate prosperity in all respects to the 1.4 billion-plus Chinese people; we have made sustained efforts to advance whole-process people's democracy, providing more robust guarantee for ensuring our people's right to run the country; we have deepened the reform of our judicial system, advanced the Peaceful China Initiative and the rule of law in China, making China widely acknowledged as one of the safest countries in the world; we have put in place the world's largest education, social security and health care systems, giving our people a great sense of accomplishment, happiness and security; we uphold equality for all ethnic groups, respect our people's religious belief and protect the lawful rights and interests of all ethnic groups; we have worked to improve the environment for the people, ensuring that we have more blue skies, lush mountains and lucid waters in China. We are committed to building a community with a shared future for humankind. While realizing our own development, we have also been doing what we can to provide assistance to over 160 countries and international organizations, to help improve the well-being of the people in relevant countries and striving for the goal of common development. The historic achievements in China's human rights cause prove that the path of human rights development chosen by China suits its national conditions and reflects the aspiration of its people. It is a path that will be firmly committed to. China's door will only open wider. We welcome more foreign friends to travel around China, and get a deeper understanding of the real China. 

As President Xi Jinping stated, "Our goal is both big and simple. It is essentially about delivering a better life to all Chinese." At the moment, we are working to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. The essence of modernization is the modernization of the people. Chinese modernization is the cause of hundreds of millions of Chinese people. We will adhere to a people-centered approach, promote high-quality development with new quality productive forces, and deliver the fruits of modernization to our people in a more substantive and equitable way. We will steadfastly improve the protection of human rights in the process of Chinese modernization, and continue to make new contributions to the sound development of the global human rights cause.

Thank you. 

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