Editor's note: The following is the full text of a speech Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, made at the opening ceremony of the 4th Beijing Forum on Human Rights on Wednesday in Beijing.

Respectable Chairman Luo Haocai,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

In this beautiful autumn season, the 4th Beijing Forum on Human Rights, co-sponsored by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and China Foundation for Human Rights Development, is opened. This is an important event in the realm of international human rights, and it offers a great opportunity for China to cooperate and exchange ideas with other countries on human rights. Human rights experts, personages and government officials from all over the world gather here to discuss the topic of "cultural tradition, values and human rights," and jointly explore and advance the development of global human rights theory and practice. I have the honor to extend sincere congratulations on the opening of the forum and express a warm welcome to our friends on behalf of the State Council Information Office of China.

Photo gallery

China has a long history and a splendid culture, and is also the largest developing country in the world. Since the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy, the Chinese government has combined the universality of human rights with China's own situation. It has inherited and enhanced China's outstanding culture and tradition, drawn on the experiences of other countries, promoted socialist core values, taken effective measures to promote the development of human rights and opened a path of socialist human rights development with Chinese characteristics.

Firstly, we should stick to the principle of "prioritizing people", thereby safeguarding people's economic, political, social and cultural rights. The principle of "prioritizing people" is a cardinal virtue of traditional Chinese culture, which advocates that people are the foundation of a country, that people are more important than rulers, and deems that people should be given the top priority. While inheriting this people-oriented concept from traditional Chinese culture, the Chinese government has also proposed the scientific concept of development resting on the principle of "prioritizing people," and insisted on development for the people, development by the people and development of the people. The Chinese government has pursued several targets: realizing people's overall development, seeking development which serves the fundamental interests of the people, continuing to meet people's demand for materials and culture, and forming a complete concept of human development. In other words, the Chinese government has improved the quality of people's lives and health, promoted social security and strived for a common wealth. The government has unswervingly developed socialist democratic politics, exerted more democracy, improved democratic systems, enriched democratic forms, widened democratic channels, and legally carried out democratic elections, decision-making, management and supervision. Furthermore, it has safeguarded people's rights for information, participation, expression and supervision and ensured that the people are their own masters.

Secondly, we should pursue the idea of a harmonious society and strive for equality and justice. Traditional Chinese culture values harmony, and demands harmonious relationships between individuals and among nations, and between people and society. We advocate preserving harmonious interpersonal relationships to avoid and solve confrontations and conflicts between individuals, between people and society, among nations and different ethnicities. We endeavor to build an ideal society that can enable old people to live a good life, provide young people with jobs, protect children from harms, and extend a helping hand to people in need. The Chinese government has absorbed beneficial elements from traditional culture in its long pursuit of a socialist harmonious society. It has righteously dealt with internal disputes, as well as other social disputes, properly aligned all societal interests in order to realize social equality and justice. The Chinese government has put an emphasis on social construction, with a focus on protecting and improving people's wellbeing. It has also emphasized the expansion of public services in order to build a society where people can receive education, get paid through work, have access to medical services and old-age support, and have a place to live, the Chinese government has instituted and continued to improve its social organization system, which has resulted in better social management and a better social order which enables people to live in peace and enjoy their work in a stable and peaceful society.

Thirdly, we should uphold the concept of ruling in the people's interests and protecting the interests of the people. Traditional Chinese culture emphasizes that people are the basis of a country, which echoes two old Chinese sayings: "The people are the foundation of a country; the country will be safe if the foundation is firm" and "The most critical thing for politics lies in the heart of people." The Chinese government requires officials at all levels to constantly bear in mind the government's mission and principles, always put the people first, take the stance of the people as their fundamental political stance, and hold to the idea of serving the interests of the people and remaining loyal to the people. All work should be conducted for the sake of the people, and we should stay true to the ideas of ruling for the people, establishing close ties with the people, acting in the best interests of the people, and serving the people in a down-to-earth and sincere way.

Fourthly, the Chinese government has placed great emphasis on the harmonious relationship between people and nature during the course of modernization. The harmonious relationship between nature and people, which is a typical concept in traditional Chinese culture, refers to the fact that human behavior should be conducted in compliance with nature's rules to achieve harmony between people and nature. For the sake of people's environmental requirements, the Chinese government has proposed the concept of ecological civilization. This will set tasks for an ecological civilization, set targets for people's peaceful coexistence with nature, ensure recycling, and well-rounded development and sustainable prosperity. Furthermore, it will set up a sustainable economic development pattern and rational consumption pattern; address the need for the balanced development of both people and nature, as well as construction of an ecological environment.

Since the implementation of the reform and opening policy, China's human rights undertakings have seen remarkable achievements which have gained world-wide acknowledgement and ushered in a new phase of development.

--The lives of Chinese people have been improved significantly and a historic leap has been made to catapult people from poverty to "xiaokang." From 1978 to 2010, China's gross national product per capital grew rapidly from US$200 to more than US$4,000. The income of urban and rural residents also increased dramatically, with net income for rural residents growing 44 times from 133.6 yuan to 5,919 yuan and disposable income for urban residents growing 54 times from 343.4 yuan to 19,109 yuan. The proportion of income spent on food for urban and rural residents, i.e. Engel's Coefficient, has fallen by 20.96 percentages from 56.66 percent to 35.7 percent, and fallen by 27.61 percentages from 67.71 percent to 41.1 percent respectively. The living conditions and environment for both urban and rural residents have also been greatly improved, with per capital living floor space rising from 4.2 square meters and 8.1 square meters to more than 22.6 square meters and 31.6 square meters respectively. The number of modern home appliances owned by urban and rural residents has multiplied, as the purchasing of home appliances has become more widespread. Also, durable goods undergo constant updates and more families can afford a car. People have a greater choice of cultural and entertainment activities and they spend more on them.

--The number of people in rural China living in poverty has been dramatically reduced. Through the implementation of the 8-7 National Plan for Priority Poverty Reduction and China Rural Poverty Alleviation and Development Outline (2001-2010), China has stepped up aid grants for poverty-stricken areas, which has done an extraordinary job in alleviating poverty and managed to lift 250 million people out of poverty. In 1978, 250 million people lived in poverty, equivalent to 30.7 percent of the rural population. At the end of 2010, 26.88 million people in China's rural areas lived in poverty, accounting for 2.8 percent of the rural population. China's achievements in poverty alleviation have contributed enormously to the world's anti-poverty efforts, and gained wide praise from the international community.

--China has accelerated the construction of a socialist nation under the rule of law. The Chinese government has shifted from a policy-oriented administration to a law-oriented administration, as the rule of law has become a fundamental part of social politics. China has enacted 236 laws, which are effective currently, more than 690 administrative regulations, and more than 8,600 local laws, and set up a multiple-layered, all-round legal system. A legal system with Chinese characteristics is in place. China's judicial system has gradually improved and matured. Further to this, a judicial trial system, a procuratorial system, a system for the profession of lawyers and a unified judicial exam has been formed in light of China's actual conditions. Under the framework of the socialist democratic law, Chinese citizens' civil rights and basic freedoms have been effectively maintained and protected. Currently, 99 percent of Chinese citizens over the age of 18 have the right to vote and stand for election. Chinese citizens are entitled to extensive basic freedoms and basic human rights. They are also entitled to freedom of speech and beliefs and extensive free private space.

--China's system for human rights protection has undergone continual improvement. Since the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy, China has continuously beefed up its efforts to strengthen the human rights protection system and written respect for, and protection of, human rights into the Constitution. It has amended the codes of criminal procedure, set up an open trial system, ratified the principle of innocent until proven guilty, granted the right to review the death penalty by the Supreme People's Court, formulated a number of laws related to human rights protection, such as the State Indemnity Law and Administrative Litigation Law, and further streamlined the petition system which enables the average citizen to voice their views and have their appeals heard. China's human rights education has gained popularity gradually thanks to a growing social awareness of human rights.

--The Chinese government has paid much attention to human rights protection. During the legislation process, China takes the need for human rights protection into full consideration. During enforcement, the Chinese government requires law enforcement agencies and law enforcement officers to respect human rights. In 2009, China formulated the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010), which was the first national human rights-themed plan devised by the Chinese government. As the result of the relentless efforts in two years, all the measures stipulated in the action plan have been implemented effectively, the pre-set targets have been met as scheduled, and indexes have been achieved successfully, signaling that China's human rights undertaking has entered a new phase of development.

Meanwhile, we are fully aware of the fact that China is still a developing country. Many problems remain to be dealt with, such as the limits set by available resources and environmental conditions on economic growth, a relatively wide income gap, the uneven paces of development between urban and rural areas, the uneven distribution of education and medical services both in quality and quantity, skyrocketing housing prices in some cities, growing economic pressure caused by inflation, increasing social conflicts stemming from illegal land requisitions, and relatively serious food safety issues. The issues of limited resources, historical and cultural elements, and the level of economic and social development mean that the progress of human rights in China still faces many obstacles, and there is still a long way to go before we could achieve the ultimate goal that citizens are fully entitled to human rights.

Guests, ladies and gentlemen,

The Chinese government has placed a high priority on international exchanges and cooperation with regard to human rights. It is willing to learn from others' strengths to offset its own weaknesses on the basis of full equality and mutual respect while participating fully in global efforts to advance the sound development of international human rights. The Chinese government has put a premium on the active role that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has played in prompting the development of human rights across the globe. It also places great importance on cooperation, and fully acknowledges the aims expressed in the declaration. The Chinese government has signed 25 international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It has faithfully fulfilled the obligations set out by those conventions, and submitted timely reports to the relevant bodies on how it implements the conventions. It has also established good working relationships with international human rights institutions, including the United Nations Human Rights Council. This forum offers a valuable platform for China to exchange views with other human rights institutions. I believe that this forum, which will cover a wide range of topics, can increase understanding and affinity between different cultures, and can also substantially deepen the development of international human rights cooperation.

 I wish the forum a complete success!

Thank you!

Related

• Different cultures show same respect for human dignity
• Human rights expert calls for more rights to know
• Experts propose human rights commission
• Blue book of China's human rights released
• China plans to improve human rights
• Officials to receive training on human rights issues
• China will stick to its own path of human rights development
• China protects human rights of all social groups

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)