China’s global human rights governance: An expert opinion
ROLE of China in global human rights governance is on the increase through Xi’s holistic and comprehensive policies of community with shared future, Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI) and last but not the least Global Civilizational Initiative (GCI) successfully spreading the spirit of just world, South-South Cooperation and international system of engagement based on rule of the law. To showcase its sincere and systematic efforts in human right’s global governance the government of China held a Forum on Global Human Rights Governance, with more than 300 scholars, officials and experts of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations from nearly 100 countries. They all shared their views on how to promote human rights development amid the increasing threat of geopolitical conflicts.
The two-day forum was themed “Equality, Cooperation and Development: The 30th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action and Global Human Rights Governance.” In addition to an opening ceremony and plenary meetings, five parallel sessions were held on international cooperation and global human rights governance, the Global Development Initiative and the realization of the right to development, the Global Security Initiative and human rights protection, UN human rights mechanism and global human rights governance, as well as human rights protection in the digital times. The forum was jointly hosted by the Information Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.
Interestingly, the Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a congratulatory letter to the forum in which he said that at a time of severe challenges facing the global human rights governance, China stands for safeguarding human rights with security, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. Moreover, he called on all countries to follow the path of peaceful development, and putting into action the Global Security Initiative. He emphasized that all countries should cooperate in the spirit of mutual respect and equality, putting into action the Global Civilization Initiative, and deepening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Xi also assured his country’s readiness to work with the rest of the world to act on the principles enshrined in the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, push for greater fairness, justice, reason and inclusiveness in global human rights governance and promote the development of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Unfortunately, the modern history of international politics and human survival have been polluting with evil forces of imperialism and hegemony by the US and the West which have been targeting other countries specifically developing and under developing countries on the false, fake and fictional propaganda about violation of human rights. Therefore, it is important for more countries to discuss shared concerns on how to further promote human rights as well as resist increasing threats, especially on weaponizing and politicizing human rights. The majority of the scholars attended this forum appreciated the Xi’s congratulatory letter profoundly expounded important propositions on the promotion and protection of human rights and provided a Chinese solution for promoting global human rights governance. Moreover, many scholars and officials from developing countries and international institutions praised China’s achievements on human rights developments, especially on poverty alleviation (more than 850 million has been pulled from extreme poverty which is indeed a modern world’s economic miracle) and they shared their prospects on how to promote developing countries to be more engaged in global governance.
On its part, China has been the champion of human rights and striving hard to play an active role in its global governance and it has indeed made remarkable achievements during this process. Its role on the international stage is becoming more and more important, and it has more and more international influence. It promoted the spirit of fairer and better cooperation and mutual respect. The experts urged regional cooperation and global coordination unity to reset understanding, regain trust in the power of human rights and to forge a new worldwide consensus of human rights. Unfortunately, the US and some Western countries have beefed up their efforts to politicize human rights issues and to use them as weapons to contain developing countries. These dark forces intentionally attacked and created hypes on topics related to China’s Xinjiang, Xizang and the Hong Kong regions in the last few years which are nothing but political engineering, geopolitical maneuvering and geostrategic dirty game to malign the Chinese global efforts of human right provisions and protections.
In this regard, the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, while delivering a keynote speech in the opening ceremony of the forum, said that some Western countries, which neglect their own problems on human rights, have been keen on plying like lecturers to point fingers on other countries and to contain these countries in the social development, leading to the politicizing of multilateral platforms and increasing confrontations. Moreover, Ma said that such actions should be firmly resisted. There is no one pattern of human rights that can fit all countries in the world and every country should and can only explore their own way on human rights based on the country’s context and people’s needs.
Some Western countries using human rights issues to contain developing countries as bullying, saying such actions have continued due to the US’ financial and strategic power. The Chinese BRI should be treated as a grand development strategy to combat global poverty, food security, social development and thus gradually increasing the national capacity building systems of the member countries, ultimately protecting human rights through drastic reduction in poverty, social disorder and empowerment of women in these countries.
To conclude, mutual conflicts, contradictions and conspiracies should be subdued to promote true spirit of human rights at global level in which China would play an important role in the days to come. Human miseries, human limitations and human problems should not be used/misused for achieving certain political goals and thus the US and the West should stay away from this meddling and interference in the domestic affairs of other countries because humanity is a universal phenomenon and everybody has its own unique, holistic and comprehensive policies and national narratives to deal it. China holds forums on human rights to offer a platform for countries, especially developing countries, to share their own experience on human rights and learn from each other, said Chang, noting that such exchanges will also diversify the global human rights governance.
—The writer is Executive Director, Centre for South Asia & International Studies, Islamabad, regional expert China, BRI & CPEC & senior analyst, world affairs, Pakistan Observer.
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