China offers enlightenment for world’s human rights undertakings: People’s Daily

The Chinese government on Thursday issued a white paper on the right to development, expounding on its philosophy, practice and contribution in this field. By doing so, China is offering enlightenment for world’s human rights undertakings, the People’s Daily said in a commentary on Friday.

The white paper, issued by China's State Council Information Office and titled "The Right to Development: China's Philosophy, Practice and Contribution," also briefs on China’s achievements and contributions in ensuring the right to development.

Following is a full translation of the article:

“Development is a universal human theme, providing for people's basic needs and giving them hope for better life. The right to development is an inalienable human right, symbolizing dignity and honor,” the white paper released by China's State Council Information Office states.

The paper, titled “The Right to Development: China’s Philosophy, Practice and Contribution”, was issued on the 30th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development. The white paper introduces China's efforts and contribution to guarantee the right to development, and elaborates the country's philosophy and mechanisms in this regard in a systematic manner.

What’s more, the document highlights China's respect to human rights, provides the world with enlightenment for the progress of human right protection, and conveys China's staunch resolution to guarantee the right to development and human rights.

The rights to subsistence and development are the primary, basic human rights. Development is the only way to ease conflicts, ensure people's basic rights and offer the public more prosperous life.

Having suffered from poverty and wars, Chinese people fully understand the importance of development. As a result, China has placed great efforts on people's right to development during the 60 years after the founding of the country.

With an arable land less than 10 percent of the world total, the country is feeds more than 20 percent of the world's population. China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty through more than 30 years of reform and opening-up, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global reduction in poverty.

In the meantime, it has established the world's largest social security system, improving the average life expectancy to 76.34 years in 2015 from 35 years in 1949.

China has always combined universal principles of human rights with its own reality. It has not only helped people benefit from development, but also achieved higher level of development through the protection of people's right to development, paving a new path in human history.

“The Chinese people are seeking to realize the great renewal of the Chinese nation and this process in essence is a process to achieve social equity and justice and advance human rights,” remarked Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the party with Xi as the core has been, along a path suitable to national conditions, upholding a philosophy advocating people-oriented as well as innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, focusing on the improvement of social welfare, and striving to develop each social undertaking.

In addition, the country has guaranteed equal participation and right to development for its people, and improved its concept and mechanism of the right to development. It is steadily working toward shared development and common prosperity.

Each country has its responsibility and obligation to realize the right to development. Chinese people share the same dream with the people from the rest of the world. Therefore, China is not only focusing on its own right to development, but also working with other countries for common development.

As a world leader in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, China has aided nearly 400 billion yuan to 166 nations and international organizations, trained more than 12 million people for developing countries, and sent 600,000 Chinese professionals to assist their development.

By following the principle of mutual respect, equality, win-win cooperation and common development, China has integrated the interests of the Chinese people with those of the people across the world and made unremitting efforts for the construction of the community of shared destiny.

As the initiator, practitioner and promoter of the right to development, China is willing to work with the international community to share ideas and experiences, and promote the healthy development of world’s human rights cause.

The protection of the right to development calls for constant efforts. Though China is the largest developing country in the world, it still faces an unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development. It needs to make more efforts to achieve a higher level of development. The world will be a better place if the international community enhances cooperation and mutual learning, and jointly safeguards the right to development.