Cambodian academics laud China's contribution to protecting rights to life, health in developing countries

This aerial photo taken on March 19, 2022 shows the Cambodia-China Friendship Medical Building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

China's humanitarian assistance during the pandemic truly reflects its commitment to protecting people's lives and health, a Cambodian academic has said.

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- China has played an important role in helping protect rights to life and health in developing countries, Cambodian academics have said.

By sending medical experts and providing medical supplies, equipment, as well as COVID-19 vaccines to help countries combat the COVID-19 pandemic, China has made great contributions to the protection of rights to life and health around the world, said Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia.

Noting that "the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines have protected hundreds of millions of people's lives around the globe," the expert said that "the Chinese jabs have also helped stabilize health systems and boost economic recovery in developing countries."

In the eyes of Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, the efforts made by China to build a global community of health for all have greatly contributed to protecting human rights, particularly in developing countries.

Photo taken on March 29, 2022 shows packages of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

"China had shared its vaccines with the rest of the world during the early stage of the global outbreak of the pandemic, as some high-income countries had hoarded vaccines," Matthews said.

China's humanitarian assistance during the pandemic truly reflects its commitment to protecting people's lives and health, he added.

In addition to advocating a global community of health for all, China has also contributed to the protection of human rights by reducing national and global poverty, the scholar noted.

The people-centered philosophy is the fundamental driver of China's cause of eradicating extreme poverty, he said.

The World Bank estimated that globally, the Belt and Road transport projects could help lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million out of moderate poverty, said Matthews.

"China's battle against poverty for decades has benefited the largest number of people in human history," and China's continued efforts to eliminate poverty worldwide through such proposals as the Global Development Initiative "are appreciated and accepted by most developing countries around the world," he said.

Children play with water guns in Sanping Village of Zhongyuan Town in Jing'an County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Impressed by China's action to build a global community of health for all, Thong Mengdavid, a research fellow at the Phnom Penh-based Asian Vision Institute, said that "if there are no rights to life and health, there's no need to mention other human rights."

"During the pandemic, China has always put people and their lives first. This clearly reflects its respect for the value and dignity of people's lives and human rights," he told Xinhua.

Noting that China has made its COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, the expert said that "China has done its best to protect the rights to life and health, not only for the Chinese people, but also for people around the world."

China's vision of building a global community of health for all, together with other initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, will undoubtedly contribute to global peace, stability and shared prosperity, Mengdavid said.