CRI听力:Reform and opening up ushers in China's human rights development

A new white paper released by China's State Council Information Office shows that the country has made great strides in its efforts to faciliate the development of human rights, with many experts suggesting that its reform and opening up played a major role in this process.

Over the 40 Years of China's Reform and Opening Up, the country has made comprehensive progress in human rights, social, and cultural rights, and enhanced the development of mechanisms that protect civil and political rights.

The rights of special groups, including ethnic minorities, women, children, the elderly, and the disabled, have also been increasingly well protected.

Chang Jian with the China Society for Human Rights Studies suggests that the 40 years of China's reform and opening up were the decades where the country saw the greatest development in human rights.

"The core task of China's reform and opening-up is to establish the socialist market economy, and grant individuals more freedom and rights. China has made big progress in the protection of citizens' rights and freedoms since the reform and opening up. To make a market economy is to establish a social security system. We should safeguard people's economic, social, and cultural rights, and political rights, as well as the rights of specific groups, especially the rights of vulnerable groups," says Chang Jian.

Over the past 40 years, 850 million people have been pulled out of poverty in China, which accounts for 70 percent of the total reduction in world poverty.

Mao Junxiang with the Central South University Human Rights Center says China has blazed a trail when it comes to human rights protections based on national realities.

"The basic tenet of the path is to mesh the universal principles of human rights with the realities of the country. China adheres to the development of human rights in line with national conditions. Its human rights protections always center on the people. The rights to subsistence and to development have been its primary focus. The country is taking steps to promote people's economic, political, social, cultural, and environmental rights, and to safeguard social fairness and justice."

Less than a month ago, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously adopted the report submitted by China during the third round of the Universal Periodic Review.

Over 120 countries spoke positively about the report, and praised the concept and practice of human rights with Chinese characteristics.

Mao Junxiang said China has redoubled its efforts to promote human rights, sharing its experience, and creating more development opportunities globally.

"The white paper indicates that China has become a normative power in global human rights governance. First, China is firmly committed to safeguarding world peace and security, as well as sharing its development dividends with other countries. Second, China has actively participated in the formulation of important international human rights documents. Third, China has generated a series of innovative ideas which have improved the normalization of international human rights governance," says Mao Junxiang.

As of May this year, China had dispatched 37-thousand military and 2,700 police personnel to participate in 30 United Nations peacekeeping missions in Sudan, Lebanon, Liberia and other countries and regions.