Chinese President Jiang Zemin met with Mary Robinson, United Nations high commissioner for human rights, in Beijing on September 14. They had a friendly talk on international cooperation for strengthening, promoting and safeguarding human rights.
Jiang said China is a developing country with a population of 1.2 billion. "To develop and protect human rights, we should first take into account our national conditions. That is to place economic growth in priority in order to feed and clothe the people," he said.
"China will further expand socialist democracy, improve the socialist legal system, rule the country according to law, build up a socialist nation of the rule of law, ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and liberty, and respect and safeguard human rights," Jiang stressed.
Jiang also briefed the guests on China's flood-control struggle. He said that the loss of life and property was reduced to a minimum thanks to the efforts made by governments at all levels.
The floods of 1931 were much smaller than this year's, but "they, however, claimed 140,000 lives, which shows a sharply different historic picture than this year," Jiang said. "It is also a reflection that only in New China can human rights be promoted and protected," he added.
Robinson told Jiang that as the first UN human rights high commissioner to visit China, she was delighted to tour Beijing, Tibet and Shanghai, and that she considers her visit "helpful and valuable."
During her journey she witnessed the social-economic progress made by China over recent years. "China has scored a tremendous accomplishment in promoting and protecting the economic, social and cultural rights of its people," she said. She was also deeply impressed by the efforts made by China to strengthen legal construction and carry out legal reform.
China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a responsible country, she noted, adding that her office is willing to strengthen human rights cooperation with China.
During the meeting, Jiang also briefed the guests on China's religious policy and political and economic conditions in the Tibet Autonomous Region.