Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with visiting Russian Human Rights Representative Oleg Mironov on March 15, 2000. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya and Mironov held in-depth exchange of views on the work of protecting and promoting human rights by the two Governments.

Both sides held that China and Russia share a wide-ranging understanding of human rights issues, and both advocate that the international community should respect the measures countries take to promote and protect human rights according to their particular situation and reality. Both sides also believe that countries should resolve their differences on the issue of human rights through equal dialogue and on the basis of mutual respect.

They agreed that countries should be allowed to establish their own human rights models in line with their own circumstances.

They pointed out that certain countries should not force other countries to accept their human rights models, and they strongly rejected interference by one country into the internal affairs of another on the pretext of human rights. Both the theory of "human rights overriding sovereignty" and "double standards" on human rights issues should be adamantly rejected, and the politicization of human rights issues should also be opposed.

Both sides highly evaluated the efforts by both governments to develop the cause of human rights in their countries, and their fruitful cooperation in the realm of international human rights. They agreed that the two countries should continue to step up cooperation in the human rights field. Foreign Minister Tang pointed out that the issue of Chechnya is not a human rights issue, but is rather a sacred cause of preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia. The Chinese government unswervingly supports the Russian government's stand on the Chechen issue.

Mironov said that Russia highly evaluates the Chinese government's principled stand on the Chechen issue. Russia will make every effort to prevent any anti-China proposal from passing during the human rights conference this year.

Mironov is paying a visit to China at the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which lasts from March 14 to 21.