CRI听力:China Issues White Paper on Human Rights

The document titled Progress in China's Human Rights in 2012 says the Chinese government believes economic development is the key to improving the human rights condition in this country.

It also mentions the Chinese government's efforts in lifting poverty, improving people's housing condition and creating jobs.

Zhang Wanhong is an associate professor with the Public Interest and Development Law Institute of Wuhan University.

"The country's first white paper prioritized people's rights to subsistence and development. Now great importance has been attached to ecological civilization, cultural development and social construction. That shows the Chinese government is getting increasingly closer to the actual demand of the society in terms of ensuring and developing human rights."

The white paper particularly touches on the measures the government has rolled out to tackle pollution, saying environmental protection is a "basic national policy".

Professor Zhang Wei is a human rights expert from the China University of Political Science and Law.

"Environmental right is closely related with every one of us. China has long been aware of the importance of protecting ecological environment in the process of economic and social development. However, it is very difficult to find the balance. The fog and haze weather last year alarmed us. Now a consensus has been formed among the whole society, urging us to lift ecological environment development to a higher level. I think it is necessary to rank it as an important aspect and target of human rights development in the new white paper."

Meanwhile it also mentions the reduced number of death penalty charges, which was slashed by nearly one-fifth last year, and the document says that the government is actively participating in international human rights dialogue.

Professor Zhang Wei says China should keep this momentum to reduce miscalculation in human rights issues.

"More communication and dialogues are needed. Criticism and blame are not solutions to the fundamental problem. China and western countries have carried out technical talks over the human rights issues. China has a lot of good policies and measures in terms of human rights protection, which have greatly inspired western countries."

This is China's 10th report on human rights since the government began releasing such reports in 1991.

It also notes the moves to make government departments more transparent, which was reflected by more than 90 central government departments making their budgets and official expenses known to the public.

As experts seem to agree, it's a work in progress and they maintain it's essential to follow through with these moves and continue building on the efforts made so far.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.