Forum hails China's human rights progress

An ongoing forum hails the progress China has made in human rights protection and promotion over the years.

Luo Haocai, president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, addresses the Seventh Beijing Forum on Human Rights in Beijing on Sept. 17. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Luo Haocai, president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, outlined China's human rights progress at the Seventh Beijing Forum on Human Rights held in Beijing on Sept. 17.

China has been practicing village- and community-level governance where public opinion is taken into account; the once infamous "education through labor" system was officially abolished last year; social assistance will be included into China's annual fiscal plan; and various aspects of people's lives, including education and health care, have been greatly improved, Luo said in his address.

Cai Mingzhao, minister for China's State Council Information Office, further elaborated on China's human rights progress. According to Cai, the deprived population in rural areas of China was reduced by as many as 16.5 million people in 2013. The Chinese people now have more ways to voice their opinion: there were 632 million netizens in China as of June 2014, accounting for almost half of the country's entire population.

Ibrahim Salama, director of the Human Rights Treaties Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Akmal Saidov, director of Uzbekistan's National Human Rights Center, also praised China's contribution to the improvement of human rights in the international community.

The two-day forum brings together more than 100 officials and human rights experts from the United Nations and 30 countries and regions. It is co-organized by the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the largest human rights academic group in China, and the China Foundation for Human Rights Development, a major civilian organization.