BEIJING, Oct. 31 -- China will push exchanges and cooperation in human rights with other countries as a UN Human Rights Council member, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Monday.

The UN General Assembly on Friday elected China and other 13 countries to the UN Human Rights Council for a three-year term starting Jan. 1, 2017.

China, a current member of the council, was re-elected winning 180 votes. The others elected were Tunisia, South Africa, Rwanda, Egypt, Japan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Croatia, Cuba, Brazil, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The re-election reflects the international community's acknowledgement of China's human rights development and its participation in international cooperation in the area, Hua said at a news briefing.

China will use the re-election to deliver its international human rights obligations, vigorously encourage exchanges and cooperation in human rights and make a greater contribution to the international human rights cause, Hua said.@ The Human Rights Council is the main UN intergovernmental body for protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. It was established by the General Assembly in 2006 to replace the 60-year-old UN Commission on Human Rights.