Nation has open attitude to UN human rights review

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin. [Photo/fmprc.gov.cn]

The Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the United Nations Human Rights Council's latest review of its human rights record and will participate in the review with an open and candid attitude.

"We hope all parties in their participation in the review will follow the Universal Periodic Review mechanism's principles of being constructive and non-politicized," ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The UPR, a unique mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council, calls for each UN member state to undergo a peer review of its human rights record every four-and-a-half years. China is one of the 14 states to be reviewed by the UPR work group between Monday and Feb 2.

Wang said the UPR is an important platform under the UN framework for equal-footed and candid exchanges, constructive dialogue and cooperation on human rights issues.

Noting that China upholds a people-centered human rights philosophy and believes that living a happy life is the primary human right, Wang said the Chinese people are gaining a better sense of fulfillment, happiness and security as the country made historic progress in its human rights cause.

"I want to stress that China always does its work in participating in the UPR according to UN procedures," Wang added.

Since its inception in 2008, the UPR has reviewed all 193 UN members three times. China's human rights record was previously reviewed by the UPR in 2009, 2013 and 2018.

In its last review of China in November 2018, the UPR working group adopted the Report on China, which contained a total of 346 recommendations from 150 states. In March 2019, the Chinese government agreed to accept 284 of them.