Full text: The Right to Development: China's Philosophy, Practice and Contribution(3)

.The System Ensuring the People's Right to Development

China has established an integrated system of legislature, strategy development, planning, and judicial remedy to ensure its people's right to development, and makes continued efforts to improve it. The people's right to development is realized through a framework of institutions, strategies, policies and measures that are constructive, practical, efficient, and compulsory.

The Constitution and Laws

China has established a legal system with Chinese characteristics. With the Constitution at the core, it is based on laws related to the Constitution, the civil laws, the commercial laws, and other major branches of the laws, and consists of laws, administrative regulations, and local regulations, providing a legal basis for the people's right to development.

As the nation's fundamental law, the Constitution establishes and protects the people's right to development in all respects. In the Preamble, equal development is set as the fundamental guiding principle, and the nation's core task is to "promote the coordinated development of the material, political and spiritual civilizations, and to turn China into a socialist country that is prosperous, powerful, democratic and culturally advanced." The Constitution establishes such principles as the people's democracy, equal development, and stipulates that "All power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people" ; "The people administer state affairs and manage economic and cultural undertakings and social affairs through various channels and in various ways in accordance with the provisions of law" ; "The state develops a relationship of equality, unity and mutual assistance among all of China's nationalities." Article 33 of the Constitution sets the fundamental principle that "The state respects and preserves human rights." In Chapter II, the Constitution stipulates the Chinese citizens' right to economic, political, cultural, and social development.

China has promulgated and implemented a series of laws and regulations to protect the right to development of all citizens, especially that of the ethnic minorities, women, children, senior citizens, and the disabled. The Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy stipulates that people of all ethnic minority groups shall "speed up the economic and cultural development of the ethnic autonomous areas, work towards their unity and prosperity, and strive for the common prosperity of all ethnic groups and for the transformation of China into a socialist country with a high level of culture and democracy." The Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests stipulates that "Women shall enjoy equal rights with men in all aspects of political, economic, cultural, social and family life. It is a basic state policy to realize equality between men and women. The state shall take necessary measures to gradually improve various systems for the protection of the rights and interests of women and to eliminate all kinds of discrimination against women." The Law on the Protection of Minors stipulates that "Minors shall enjoy the right to life, the right to development, the right to being protected, and the right to participation." The Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly stipulates that "The state shall protect the lawful rights and interests of the elderly. The elderly shall have the right to obtain material assistance from the state and society, the right to enjoy social services and social preferential treatment, and the right to participate in social development and share the achievements in development." The Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons stipulates that "Disabled persons shall enjoy equal rights with other citizens in political, economic, cultural, social, family life and other aspects."

National Development Strategies

The world is a colorful place, with many different development patterns. Summarizing its historical experience and based on its prevailing conditions, China has chosen a socialist path. It strives to build socialism with Chinese characteristics, create a beautiful life for the Chinese people, and realize the people's right to development.

To build socialism with Chinese characteristics, China sets its national development strategies based on the need to protect and realize its people's right to development. In the early 1980s, the CPC proposed the "three-step" development strategy: First, to double the 1981 GNP and ensure the provision of basic material needs by 1990; second, to double the 1991 GNP by the end of the 20th century and bring people's living standards to a level of "reasonable prosperity" ; and third, to quadruple that new GNP to the level of moderately developed countries by the mid-21st century, and bring the Chinese people an affluent life.

At the 15th CPC National Congress in 1997, the third step was made more specific, and a new "three-step" strategy for the first half of the 21st century was put forward. First, in the first decade of the 21st century, to double GNP compared to the 2000 level, raise levels of prosperity, and form a relatively complete socialist market economy; second, with ten more years' hard work, to further develop the economy and improve various institutions by the centenary of the founding of the CPC; and third, to achieve basic modernization and complete the building of a socialist country that is prosperous, democratic, and culturally advanced by the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in the mid-21st century.

After entering the 21st century, the CPC set itself the strategic task of building a "moderately prosperous society in all respects." Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Party's Central Committee, with Xi Jinping as its core, has set the "people's wish for a better life" as its goal of governance, and defined the Two Centenary Goals. That is, to enable the people to live prosperous lives and complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, the centenary of the CPC (founded in 1921), and to bring China's per capita GDP on par with that of moderately developed countries, and build China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the centenary of the PRC (founded in 1949) in the mid-21st century.

To achieve the Two Centenary Goals, the CPC strives to promote coordinated progress in economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological areas, and to implement the Four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy, viz., building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, driving reform to a deeper-level, fully implementing the rule of law, and strengthening Party discipline. Based on economic growth, the Party will continue to build the socialist market economy, promote democracy, advanced culture, ecological progress, and a harmonious society, and ensure that the people are better-off, that the nation grows stronger and more prosperous, and that the environment is clean and beautiful, and that the people's right to development is protected and promoted in a more solid and effective manner.(mo