Experts speak highly of China's human rights progress

VIENNA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Experts attending an international human rights seminar on Tuesday spoke highly of China's human rights development and highlighted China's efforts in promoting international dialogue and cooperation on human rights issues.

The 2022 China-Europe Seminar on Human Rights was held both online and offline on Tuesday, with separate venues in the Austrian capital of Vienna and the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

More than 100 human rights scholars, officials and representatives from international organizations attended the seminar, themed "Science and Technology and Human Rights."

Heinz Fischer, former Austrian president and president of the Austria-China Friendship Association (ACFA), told Xinhua on the sidelines of the seminar that he had visited China many times since the 1970s and witnessed the country's rapid socio-economic development and progress in human rights cause.

Fischer said China has transformed into a "highly industrialized" and "high-tech" country in decades.

"This is incomparable. This is very impressive," he added.

Hannes Fellner, a linguistics professor at the University of Vienna, said that China's poverty alleviation campaign, which lifted "hundreds of millions of people in China out of poverty," is "one of the greatest human rights feats in the history of humankind."

China has also succeeded in advancing the human rights cause with the help of science and technology, Fellner added.

Delegates at the seminar also applauded the seminar as an important platform to promote dialogue and mutual understanding on human rights issues between China and Europe.

Although China and Europe may have different approaches to human rights, "it is necessary to exchange opinions in such a seminar with high-ranking participants," said Fischer.

Gerd Kaminski, standing vice president of the ACFA, said the seminar helps promote dialogue on an equal basis and improve mutual understanding.

Chinese Ambassador to Austria Li Xiaosi told Xinhua that China and Europe have both attached great importance to the seminar since its inauguration in 2015.

Experts, scholars and officials from both sides have participated actively in the event and engaged in constructive dialogue to find consensus, which is conducive to the joint efforts to promote human rights development, Li said.

The 2022 China-Europe Seminar on Human Rights was co-hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the ACFA.