ON Jan 26 this year, China’s human rights report was unanimously adopted by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth cycle. More than 120 countries spoke highly of China’s remarkable achievements and unremitting efforts in human rights protection.
The concept of “human rights” became known from the West, yet its essential ideas have long existed in Chinese political culture. It was fully embodied in the long-cherished “people-being-first-of-all” political principle.
In the Book of Documents, one of China’s oldest classics written 3,000 years ago, it is written that “People are the foundation of a country. Only when people lead a good life can the country thrive.”
Mencius, the famous Chinese ancient sage, said the same thing: “People are the most important; the state is secondary.”
Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, priority has been given to ensuring and safeguarding the human rights of all Chinese citizens. Seeing both the global trend and China’s unique situation, the Chinese government has successfully pioneered its own way of advancing human rights protection and made historic achievements in various fields.
The following are three major principles. People are always at the centre. President Xi Jinping said: “... to ensure all Chinese people a life of contentment is China’s most weighty human right.”
After eight years of painstaking efforts, China has successfully alleviated nearly 100 million people out of poverty, putting an end to its centuries-long absolute poverty history.
This is an achievement not only for the Chinese people but also, more importantly, a victory for mankind as a whole. By realising the poverty reduction aim of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of time, China has contributed significantly to global poverty reduction and progress in human development.
China has made solid progress in advancing high-quality development and established the world’s largest education, social security and healthcare systems, bringing tangible benefits to people of all ethnic groups.
Human rights are equally enjoyed by all. China is as diverse and as multiethnic as Malaysia. There are 56 ethnic groups living on this vast land. Like seeds of a pomegranate hugging each other closely, people of different ethnic groups in China love and support each other as brothers and sisters do in one big family.
Big or small, all ethnic groups in China enjoy equal social status. Their rights and benefits are legally stipulated and protected, and freedom of religion is ensured to everyone.
Recent years have seen additional “Outlines for Women’s and Children’s Development” adopted, and “Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests” amended to further promote gender equality and all-around development of women and children in China.
The physically underprivileged in China are also given proper support with their medical, educational, occupational and spiritual needs.
In upholding the principles of fairness and justice, China has been cooperating with other countries in the UN Human Rights Council and other multilateral organisations.
China has facilitated the adoption of a series of major international human rights conventions and declarations, and shared its wisdom with the rest of the world by proposing the vision of “building a community with a shared future for mankind”. This vision has been incorporated into a number of UN Human Rights Council resolutions.
Besides conducting human rights dialogues with Malaysia and 30 other countries or regions, China has been promoting exchanges and cooperation in various fields to promote human rights protection.
China has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, which are Chinese solutions to addressing the global concerns of development deficits, security predicament and civilisational alienation.
Human rights are not abstract terms. They are specific in denotation, achievable in practical form and evolve with history. There are no fixed standards or one-fits-all models. Therefore, every country’s human rights development path should be allowed and respected, and success or failure can only be judged by its own people.
By undertaking Chinese-style modernisation, China is steadily advancing its cause of national rejuvenation to make it a stronger and more prosperous country.
China will bring better equitability to all its people and promote human rights protection to new heights.
Malaysia is also a diverse and inclusive society protecting human rights under the rule of law. As a good neighbour and close partner, China is willing to work with Malaysia in various fields to jointly contribute to the advancement of human rights development in both the region and the world.
Article 1 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” I believe that with the collective efforts of all, these common aspirations of humankind will eventually become a reality.
By OUYANG YUJING Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia
Growth engine: An employee works on steel castings in a factory in Hangzhou, China. The country’s contribution to worldwide economic growth is approximately 30%. — AFP
IN today’s world, China occupies a pivotal position in the global economy, showcasing a unique combination of rapid economic growth, innovative strategies and global influence.
The country has evolved from a regional power to a global economic leader, making significant contributions to international affairs and economic development.
Through active participation in international organisations, development of extensive trade networks and investments in global infrastructure projects, China exerts a profound impact on the world economic system.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Chinese Premier Li Qiang articulated the key aspects of China’s economic policy and strategy.
He noted that China demonstrates sustained progress in economic development and exerts a significant influence on the global economy, serving as a vital engine of global development.
China’s contribution to global economic growth is approximately 30%, underscoring its central role in the world economic system.
Li also highlighted that China achieved an economic revival with an expected gross domestic product growth of 5.2% in 2023, surpassing the initial target of 5%.
Furthermore, Li pointed out that China is the only country covering all industrial sectors classified by the United Nations, and its added value in industry accounts for about 30% of the global level.
This testifies to China’s leading position in the global industry and its ability to stimulate worldwide productivity.
China’s active participation in international organisations underscores its commitment to multilateral cooperation and global responsibility.
The recent reelection of China to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2024-2026 term at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly marks a significant milestone, affirming its influence and commitments in international affairs.
This is the sixth time China has been a member of this crucial body, demonstrating its active role in advancing global dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights.
Furthermore, the Belt and Road Initiative, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023, stands as one of China’s most ambitious projects in global economic development.
The third forum of international cooperation under this initiative achieved 458 significant outcomes.
Chinese financial institutions allocated 780 billion yuan to finance projects associated with the initiative, facilitating the creation of close economic ties with numerous countries.
Chinese and foreign enterprises reached business cooperation agreements worth US$97.2bil, emphasising China’s role as a global economic partner and a bridge between various world regions.
China’s transportation infrastructure plays a critical role in its economic dominance. The country has established air connections with over 100 countries and regions worldwide, fostering stronger global connections and increasing trade.
The total tonnage of the fleet owned by Chinese shipowners amounts to 249.2 million gross tonnes, reflecting the scale of its maritime power.
These achievements, combined with leadership in cargo and container throughput at ports, underscore China’s strategic role in global logistics and trade.
China’s industry also exerts a significant influence on the global economy.
The country leads in many sectors, maintaining the world’s top position in industrial added value for the past 14 years.
This achievement is particularly notable given that China is the only country covering all industrial sectors classified by the United Nations.
With over 200 major industrial clusters, China boasts a large and diverse industrial system that contributes to the global distribution of production factors and enhances worldwide productivity.
The China-initiated South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, with a capital of US$4bil, serves as a key tool in supporting international development and strengthening global partnerships.
Additionally, Chinese financial institutions are preparing to launch a special fund of US$10bil aimed at implementing initiatives for global development, highlighting China’s strategic role in worldwide economic progress.
Evidence of China’s growing economic power is also seen in the significant increase in foreign investments.
From January to September 2023, 41,947 enterprises with foreign investments were established in China, representing a 32.1% increase compared to the previous year.
This reflects the attractiveness of the Chinese market to international investors and its ability to draw capital from various corners of the world.
In conclusion, China’s contribution to the global economy is multifaceted and substantial. From active participation in international organiaations and global initiatives, to leadership in the industrial and financial sectors, China demonstrates its role as a global economic leader.
Social and humanitarian efforts, along with contributions to peacekeeping missions, further underscore its commitment to cooperation and sustainable development.
The reflections of these achievements in the speeches of leaders like Li Qiang underscore China’s strategic vision and contribution to shaping the future of the global economy. — China Daily/ANN
By Azerbaijan-based journalist Seymur Mammadov is a special commentator for China Daily. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
You are not alone if you did not know Miss Ho Yik King because I didn't know her either and neither did any of my friends. However her suicide in the United Kingdom on November 2022 suddenly pushed her to the headline and many were compelled to read about her and to determine what it was that drove her to end her life in the manner it did.
Miss Ho was an intelligent 27 year old HongKong girl who achieved a degree from a HongKong university in 2017 and a master degree from Switzerland in 2019. A bright future was before her had she stayed on as a normal citizen of HongKong.
But youth and wisdom are at times not packaged together and she fatally follows her rebellious nature to confront the Authorities in HongKong on human rights and the Extradition laws etc. Most of her university mates were doing it and so why not her.
Swept along by the reckless HongKong student movement and a constant stream of propaganda from the West on human rights, democracy and freedom she "marched" with the rebels and determinedly wrecked HongKong whilst demanding for independence. For months and years the Western media portrayed them as freedom fighters and as heroes whilst denouncing the Authorities and China as evil.
They destroyed malls, train stations, shops and banks. By engaging hit and run tactics they successfully disrupted airport activities and brought the city centre to a stand still.
With funds and supplies from the West they relentlessly pursued their destructive activities. They used knives, paved stones , arrows, Molotov bombs as weapons . They even killed an innocent citizen through their projectiles, stabbed one on the neck and engulfed another in flame.
The United Kingdom fueled the mind boggling chaos by offering British national overseas visas to the activists which encouraged them to march with extra vigor . But this was only a visa and one that is tailored for HongKong citizens who were bent on leaving HongKong albeit with lots of money in their suitcases.
But the students were blind to the British visa nuance and to the cost of living in the UK . They stayed on the course of destruction . On paper the visa offered them a choice of escape from HongKong but they did not read the fine prints if they ever existed. Remember the saying " the devil is in the details".
Finally the HongKong Authority had enough of the student movement and chaos and issued the New Security Law in 2022 .Those who had a reason and the means to leave HongKong did so by way of the British magical visa.
Miss Ho was one of them. She sold everything and left HongKong and took the flight into the safe arms of Britain in April 2022 . She envisaged starting life afresh , getting a good job, getting married and all of her dreams would be fulfilled because she would be a British subject after five years of stay and she would qualify for social benefits that come with citizenship.
No, that dream didn't work out! Instead her real nightmare just started.
For whatever the reason she found difficulty in opening a bank account upon arrival. Her British visa did not qualify her to open one. She allegedly found out she needed a UK identification card number which she didn't have.
Next, she found out that house rental in Britain was not only prohibitively expensive but that she was regarded by astute landlords with suspicion. Of course they would . Why would a British landlord accept a Chinese girl as tenant when her name was associated with a notoriously rebellious history. Eventually she lived in a modest flat in Richmond that came with a shared and unhygienic toilet.
Miss Ho was a picture of delusion. Britain was not meeting her minimum expectations. With limited funds she was allegedly often surviving on one meal a day . She needed help but found the visit to a psychologist was too exorbitant.
Finally , when living costs soared due to rising cost for food and heating, Miss Ho , with nowhere to turn to, decided to end her life in her rented flat. Days later her lifeless body was discovered along with a suicide note .
When alive she was regarded by the British as an unwanted immigrant and she lived a miserable life in Britain but when she died the coroner was full of praise for her. He said " Fion is an excellent example of the high calibre of person who is so welcome in England..."
This is the reality. Fiona's destiny was potentially one of distinction until she joined the band of delusional activists of HongKong who believed in western propaganda only to find out the dream was nothing but a damning mirage.
Hopefully there is a lesson here for the Taiwanese, the Philippines, the Japanese and the South Koreans. If the lesson is learnt then Fion's life story and death will not have gone to waste.
1st Chinese California Superior Court Judge Lillian Sing (born in Shanghai) speak out against US racism, demonizing Chinese, China and promoting proxy war in Taiwan Province against China.
The representative of China at the United Nations Human Rights Council called on the US, Canada and Australia to seriously
reflect on the systematic discrimination and oppression of indigenous peoples in their countries on Wednesday.
The so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act," which maliciously denigrates the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang while disregarding facts and truth, will come into effect on June 21.
The act is the latest example of how the US launches disinformation campaigns against China. Experts noted that starting from funding anti-China think tanks and scholars to authoring malicious, false reports, the hyping up of relative topics in the media, and interference from US politicians, the US government enacts such evil laws. In its mastery of creating disinformation, the US, on April 27, announced the creation of the Disinformation Governance Board under the US Department of Homeland Security. However, the board was shut down after just three weeks after serious concerns were raised.
"The US government itself is the primary spreader of disinformation. German writer Michael Lüders pointed out in his book The Hypocritical Superpower that the US government is very adept at selecting and distorting facts, limiting the source of information, and polarizing public opinion in order to blur facts and influence people's judgment. When the waters are muddied, it is certainly easier to fish for geopolitical and economic gains," said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a media briefing on June 8, in response to a question related to the Disinformation Governance Board.
Last month, former US President Barack Obama's speech on disinformation and democracy sparked heated discussions. While what he tried to say was that disinformation is harmful to US democracy, many netizens pointed out that his words actually exposed how the US had launched disinformation campaigns in other countries, including meticulous propaganda operations designed to mislead citizens and result in a lack of confidence in their leaders.
"Large-scale propaganda is an important part of the US global strategy to establish, maintain, and consolidate its global dominance. The institutionalized US foreign communication strategy was accelerated after World War II," Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Cuban Ambassador to China, Carlos Miguel Pereira, told the Global Times that the US likes to fuel its powerful propaganda machine to present a distorted world view that does not correspond to reality to protect its political interests.
Lüders told the Global Times in a previous interview that the US is "hypocritical because while it always cites higher values, in reality, it pursues a kind of power politic that is tough and cold-blooded. Its reference to 'higher values' is being manipulated."
Experts noted that the US employed "white", "black" and "gray" propaganda, and the latter two are mostly carried out by agencies such as the CIA and Defense Department in a covert manner. It is estimated that 40 percent of the CIA's covert operations are propaganda programs.
Three types of propaganda
In 1951, the US government set up the Psychological Strategy Board (PSB), a committee comprised of the State Department, the Department of Defense, and the CIA. In 1953, the Operations Coordinating Board (OCB) under the command of the National Security Council was formed to further propose the US government's information and psychological warfare programs while the PSB was abolished.
In 1961, former US President Kennedy abolished the OCB as it was believed that secret wars should not be publicly overseen by so many officials. Since then, the agency in charge of psychological warfare became a mystery.
However, based on the analyzed related materials and US government documents, we can still have a broad understanding of how the US conducts information and psychological war abroad, Lü said.
After more than a century of practice, the US formed a complete set of international communications mechanisms. That is, the NSC led inter-department cooperation, to conduct either covert or overt communications operations. They use "idealism" as a cover to achieve their "realistic" interests in their international communication disclosures. This strategic communication, to a great extent, helps maintain US global dominance, Lü noted to the Global Times.
According to Lü, an important characteristic of US national and international communication is that it pursues "ideological thrust" and "weaponized information." That is to say, all the conveyed messages must serve US national strategic interests and goals.
Lü listed three types of propaganda that the US adopts in its strategic communication.
The "white" propaganda refers to osmotic propaganda based on the government's public activities, including public diplomacy led by the US State Department and the state-owned media represented by Voice of America.
The "black" propaganda refers to propaganda activities carried out through covert action. Many propagandist activities carried out by the CIA, the Department of Defense, and other agencies fall in this category, which includes a large number of infiltration activities such as secretly controlling domestic and foreign media and buying off politicians.
The CIA has a long history of manipulating media outlets worldwide for its secret propaganda purposes. According to an article in The New York Times in 1977, dozens of English and foreign language publications have been owned, subsidized, or influenced by the CIA over the past three decades. To shape world opinion, the CIA was able to call upon many news outlets in its worldwide propaganda campaign.
Some of its officials admitted to The New York Times that they were concerned about the possibility of "blow-back" - that is - some of the purposely misleading or downright false information spread by the CIA abroad may be picked up by US reporters overseas and included in their dispatches to publications at home.
The "gray" propaganda refers to engaging "opinion leaders" and workers in the media industry in relevant countries to act as spokespersons for US interests by means of behind-the-scenes bribes and inducements, so as to promote the interests of the US and influence the decisions of relevant governments, Lü said.
According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2005, the US military secretly paid newspapers in Iraq to run stories written by US military information operations troops with help from a defense contractor to "burnish the image of the US mission in Iraq." Nearly $1,500, for instance, was paid to Addustour newspaper to run an article titled "More Money Goes to Iraq's Development." The Los Angeles Times also found out that the Pentagon had contracted a Washington-based firm named the Lincoln Group to plant these stories.
The "gray propaganda" and "black propaganda" are mostly carried out by agencies including the CIA and the US Defense Department and the secrecy of these plans is hard to uncover, Lü said.
Scholar Loch Johnson estimated that a full 40 percent of CIA secret operations are propaganda programs. "Whatever foreign policies or slogans the White House may be pushing" at the time, the CIA "will likely be advancing these same ideas through its covert channels," he said.
Newscasters work on their broadcast at Radio and TV Marti headquarters on Jan 24, 2007 in Miami, Florida. The anti-Castro broadcasting network is overseen by the US Broadcasting Board of Governors. Photo: AFP
US' harm to the world
Ambassador Pereira told the Global Times that the destabilization campaigns and subversion programs from the US government against Cuba are nothing new.
According to the ambassador, in 2021, the Joe Biden administration asked Congress for $20 million for so-called "democracy in Cuba" programs, and almost $13 million for illegal radio and television broadcasts.
The ambassador said that in 2021, they found that the federal agency USAID granted 12 organizations based in Florida, Washington, and Madrid dedicated to the anti-Cuban campaign, more than $6.6 million, in the month of September alone.
"The US has unleashed a media offensive aimed at discrediting the management of the Cuban government, through the manipulation and politicization of issues such as human rights and the fight against terrorism, as well as generating mistrust around the Revolution, for which it deploys today with full intensity, its subversive component to try to influence sensitive and strategic sectors for the future of the country, such as our youth, through social networks, in which private US platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are known to predominate," he said.
Such methods include creating Facebook groups, the use of robots and fake accounts on Twitter, or trying to recruit Cuban residents in Miami to spread falsehoods about Cuba as though they were in the country.
During the violent July 11 unrest in 2021 in Cuba, an account based in Spain and managed by US institution posted more than 1,000 tweets a day to fuel the unrest, according to the diplomat.
From 1996 to 2021, the US Congress allocated around $404 million for supposed democracy programs under the Helms-Burton Act, an act seeking international sanctions against the Castro government. Likewise, between 1984 and 2021, the US Congress had allocated nearly $945 million for illegal broadcasts on Radio and TV Martí.
Radio and TV Martí is a Miami-based radio and television international broadcaster financed by the US federal government which transmits news to Cuba.
In November, the Ethiopian government urged the US government and relevant organizations to stop spreading falsehoods about the country.
Ethiopia's state minister of communication, Kebede Dessisa, said the US government should "refrain from disseminating shameful fake news and defamation regarding Ethiopia," state broadcaster EBC reported.
The US likes to claim that it acts in the name of freedom, democracy, and human rights but there is a huge gap between this idealism and reality. Their disinformation causes great harm which ordinary citizens have to bear, experts said.
The US used white powder as so-called evidence of possession of weapons of mass destruction then waged war on Iraq, killing about 200,000 to 250,000 Iraqi civilians. Citing a staged video by the "White Helmet" and the false intelligence it provided as "evidence", the US launched the so-called "most precise air campaign in history" against Syria, claiming more than 1,600 innocent civilian lives in a single strike.
Info war on China
Since the normalization of China-US relations, the US has not abandoned its use of ideological weapons and US intelligence agencies' rumor mill capabilities to contain China's development and undermine political stability, Lü said.
Since 2018, the US has incessantly hyped "human rights" topics in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Its modus operandi, as Lü pointed out, includes letting the media first create ambiguous topics, followed by intelligence agencies selecting suitable candidates and presenting them as "fugitives" to accept interviews in the media, followed by so-called research reports by anti-China think tanks. After that, the US government usually mobilizes several "human rights organizations" that it either secretly or openly supports to proliferate the topic and call for "sanctions." Thereafter, the US government follows the suit.
Zhao Lijian also listed how the US launched a disinformation campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic at the June 8 media briefing.
"You may still remember that the US downplayed the threat and speed of the coronavirus disease's transmission at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and kept spreading disinformation about the origins of the virus. Disinformation about COVID-19 was rated by a certain US website as "2020 Lie of the Year." As a result, more than one million innocent American lives have been lost to the virus, making the US the country with the highest COVID-19 death toll as well as the most confirmed cases," Zhao said.
"The more lies the US government tells, the greater the reputational damage and its credibility deficit," he said. "The US needs to stop fabricating and disseminating false information, and stop taking pride in being "an empire of lies."
According to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, only about 39 percent of American respondents said they trusted their country's government, which is nearly the lowest level ever recorded.
