Chinese People Enjoy More Freedom, Individual Rights Than Ever: Official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, February 11, 2002

Chinese People Enjoy More Freedom, Individual Rights Than Ever: Official

"Never in the past have the Chinese people enjoyed so much personal freedom and so many individual rights," said Zhao Qizheng, director-general of the State Council Information Office (SCIO). In step with China's economic development and social progress, the Chinese people will have human rights to enjoy in still more areas and at an even higher plane, Zhao said.

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The official made the remarks in an interview with the Human Rights magazine, which was launched Sunday. Published by China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS), the bimonthly Human Rights is the first professional magazine in China on human rights.

The past two decades have seen tremendous changes in conditions of the Chinese people for subsistence, testifying, in a most striking manner, to the progress made by the country in promoting human rights, Zhao said.

Reform and opening up bring China great progress

Since 1978, the Chinese Government has unswervingly upheld the state policy of reform and opening to the outside world and, thanks to this, the country has been able to greatly develop its economy and improve the life of its people.

From 1979 to 2000, the national economy, computed by taking the comparable prices as the basis, grew at an annual average rate of 9.5%.

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In 1979, those living below the poverty line were counted at 250 million and, by 2000, the number had dropped to about 30 million-- an unprecedented exploit in the history of China and the world.

The marked improvement in the life of the 1.3 billion Chinese -- one fifth of the global population -- represents a big progress in China's history of human rights. It is also a great contribution made by China to the promotion of human rights worldwide, Zhao said.

Ever since China began to follow the state policy of reform and opening to the outside world, the Chinese Government has, by proceeding from the specific conditions of the country, taken steady steps to improve its legal system and socialist democracy.

More freedom, individual rights guaranteed

Thanks to this, an all-round progress of the Chinese society has been ensured and the people's civil and political rights effectively guaranteed. Chinese citizens, as individuals, now have the freedom to engage in economic, business and cultural activities, and the freedom to select their jobs.

Meanwhile, significant progress has been made in ensuring the people's right to freedom of speech and publication and to legal protection of individual rights and interests, according to Zhao.

China active in international human rights activities

He noted that China has taken an active part in international human rights activities, especially activities under the umbrella of the United Nations. It respects the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations human rights convention and the basic principles provided for in them.

Until now, China has ratified 18 international conventions on human rights and, by proceeding from its own conditions, incorporated into its own laws the principles and criteria provided for in these conventions for protection of human rights.

The current world situation is complicated. World peace is being threatened and challenged as the interest-oriented contention between countries and conflicts between different peoples, religions, cultures and values could develop into factors adversely affecting peace and security of the human race.

It is against this international background that China, a large country with many ethnic groups and religions and still in the process of economic and social transition, has ensured social stability, harmony between the various ethnic groups and fast, sustaining economic development and constant improvement of the people's life. What China has achieved cannot be more remarkable and should be highly valued, the official stressed.

Problems and shortcomings

Zhao also admitted that there are still shortcomings and problems in China's human rights conditions. Some 30 million rural people are still unable to earn enough to feed and clothe themselves.

Illiterates and functional illiterates number 85.07 million among people aged 15 or older across the country. Medical and health insurance is inadequate, and so is protection of workers' rights and interests. Infringements on citizens' legitimate rights and interests occur from time to time due to inadequacies in China's legal system and failure on the part of some law-enforcement officers to abide by law in performing their duties.

The Chinese Government takes a clear-cut stand on these problems and brooks no infringement on human rights. Meanwhile, China's development has to be accomplished in phases, and that problems that crop up in the process cannot be resolved in a short time. Resolve and confidence are needed to overcome these problems, but still more important are willpower and patience.

"I'm fully confident that China's human rights conditions will keep improving", said Zhao, hoping China to become, in the foreseeable future, even better developed, the Chinese people's life even more prosperous, and the Chinese society even more open, fair and progressive. The expectation can certainly be realized through concerted efforts of the Chinese Government and people, he said.

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The Information Office of the State Council issued Monday, April 9, 2001, a white paper on human rights, elaborating the achievements China scored in its human rights cause during the past year.

The white paper, entitled "Progress in China's Human Rights Cause in 2000", says that the year 2000 marked a milestone in China's march to modernization, as the country witnessed both sound economic performance and continued advance in its human rights cause.

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