How China strives to improve global human rights governance for a better world

Students from Xide County who used to take the "slow train" for school pose for a group photo in front of D843 "Fuxing" bullet train at Xichang West Railway station in Xichang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Jan 10, 2022. [Xinhua]

Take the Belt and Road Initiative. Proposed by China in 2013, it has generated nearly 1 trillion U.S. dollars in investment, created some 420,000 jobs worldwide, and helped lift nearly 40 million people out of poverty in a decade. A World Bank report said the initiative could boost trade by 2.8 to 9.7 percent for participating countries and by 1.7 to 6.2 percent for the whole world.

Furthermore, the Global Development Initiative (GDI) put forward by China in September 2021 has gained support from more than 100 countries and several international organizations, including the United Nations. Nearly 70 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the initiative. In April last year, China proposed another initiative, the Global Security Initiative, to promote common security.

China said it would work hard to contribute its wisdom and solutions to the cause of peace and development for all humanity. In this regard, China practices what it preaches, said Keith Bennett, a long-term China specialist and vice chair of Britain's 48 Group Club.

Bennett said that China can put forward proposals, mechanisms and solutions that have global appeal.

ENRICHING GLOBAL CAUSE

In early November 2017, the Committee of Disarmament and International Security of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly approved two draft resolutions on preventing an arms race in outer space. Both incorporated for the first time the phrase "building a community of shared future for mankind."

Since then, the vision put forward by China has been written into more UN resolutions and has become an essential component of the global human rights discourse.

Chinese rice expert Dan Songbai (1st L) instructs farmers in a hybrid rice field in Kihanga, Bubanza Province, Burundi, Oct 29, 2022. [Xinhua]

Based on this vision, China has cultivated an outlook on human rights with "people" as the center, "development" as the driving force and "a life of contentment" as the goal through continuous progress, enriching the global human rights cause.

China conforms to a people-centered approach, which envisions a "global five-in-one" comprising "politics, security, economy, culture and ecology," said Maria Francesca Staiano, director of the Center on China Studies of the International Relations Institute of the National University of La Plata.

"They are key points of the UN human rights protections, which are in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and human rights," she said.

True. To promote common development for advancing universal human rights, China put forward the GDI, advocating action-oriented approaches that address developing countries' most pressing livelihood needs. It has also called for upholding genuine multilateralism and the basic norms of international relations to promote and protect human rights through dialogue and cooperation.

Meanwhile, recognizing the importance of inclusiveness, China proposed the Global Civilization Initiative in mid-March, urging the international community to respect the diversity of civilizations and the different paths of human rights development.

Saikat Bhattacharya, an assistant professor at New Integrated Public University in India, said building a community with a shared future for humanity champions the equality of countries regardless of their size. It strengthens state-to-state relations and promotes living with dignity.

"The international community needs the contribution of China in global human rights governance," said Micol Savia, permanent representative of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers to the United Nations in Geneva.

China, a country with long history and culture, is a significant player in international relations, she added.