UN working group highlights China's great strides in protecting human rights

GENEVA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- China has made significant strides in protecting human rights, representatives and experts said here at a UN event on Monday.

The UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group conducted its fourth review of China's human rights record on Tuesday. On the side event titled "Putting Development at the Center of the Agenda: Safeguarding Economic, Social and Cultural Rights," Haydar Ali Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations in Geneva, highlighted China's notable advancements in human rights protection.

China's commitment to prioritizing the welfare of its people and its emphasis on people-centered policies have yielded enduring and effective outcomes, he said.

Alfred de Zayas, former United Nations independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, has criticized certain Western media outlets for engaging in an information war.

Their dissemination of false news and their propagation of "false history" and "false laws" serve to discredit specific countries, foment conflicts, and hinder international cooperation, he said.

Addressing the issue of double standards in the West's approach to human rights, Christoph Stückelberger, president of Geneva Agape Foundation, said that human rights and their fundamental principles are intended to serve as a unifying force for humanity.

Liang Xiaohui, chief researcher at the Social Responsibility Office of China National Textile and Apparel Council, commended China's significant advancements in fulfilling its human rights obligations through policy legislation and international economic and trade cooperation.

Gongqiu Zeren from China Ethnic Minorities' Association for External Exchanges said that the excellent traditional ethnic culture based on Tibetan language has been inherited and carried forward in Xizang's education.

Tibetan traditional festivals and folk activities have been well preserved and are increasingly becoming important tourism events, driving Xizang's economic development, he said.

Present at the event were representatives from the permanent missions of Cuba, Belarus, Vietnam, Burundi, Azerbaijan, Dominica and other countries in Geneva.