Commentary: China, a pioneer in enriching global human rights practice

BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- During a UN Human Rights Council conference at Geneva, over 120 countries have applauded China's unwavering commitment to and historic achievements in protecting and promoting human rights, a signature Chinese path towards human rights progress.

Over the years, China has been committed to enhancing the well-being and basic rights of its citizens. Meanwhile, it is making every effort to help charting the course for the advancement of human rights worldwide.

China has lifted nearly 100 million rural population out of poverty by the end of 2020, realizing the poverty reduction goal of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of time, a brilliant feat in safeguarding people's rights to subsistence and development.

China is willing to share its experience of poverty alleviation with the rest of the world and has already actively engaged in cooperation with other developing countries to address the challenge.

Take the Belt and Road cooperation. Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013, over 3,000 cooperation projects have been initiated, generating at least 420,000 job opportunities for participating countries and lifting about 40 million people out of poverty. Significant improvements have also been made in infrastructure, connectivity, education, health, food safety and other fields.

As Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the UN office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, has said, China has pursued a human rights development path that aligns with the current global trends and suits its national conditions, providing a model for international progress in human rights.

During the recent human rights event in Geneva, China announced 30 new measures aimed at protecting human rights, including initiatives to enhance people's livelihoods, strengthen legal protection of human rights, promote international human rights cooperation and support the work of the UN human rights mechanisms.

China accepted 284 recommendations related to human rights protection proposed by various countries during the third round of review of the UN Human Rights Council in 2018, demonstrating its open and inclusive mindset on human rights issues.

Moreover, China has been elected for a sixth time as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, a record enjoyed by only a few countries worldwide. The fact demonstrates the international community's full affirmation of China's achievements in the cause of human rights and its active participation in international human rights cooperation.

All these attest to China's firm commitment to the cause of human rights protection, which has been well acknowledged by the international community.

Despite the West's attempts to politicize and weaponize human rights issues, China, as a pioneer in global human rights practice, is resolute in taking even solider strides toward greater progress in this respect.