Full text: The Right to Development: China's Philosophy, Practice and Contribution(12)

Commitments to international conventions propel environmentally-friendly development. China was among the first countries to formulate and implement a national climate change plan, and pledged to achieve its 2020 goals laid out in the "National Plan on Climate Change (2014-2020)" and 2030 goals set out in the "Enhanced Actions on Climate Change: China's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions" released in 2015. Over the years, China has taken effective policy actions to honor its commitments. Moving along the path toward low-carbon development, China enacted the "National Plan for Reducing Ozone-depleting Substances" and achieved ahead of schedule its first-stage hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) phase-out goal as part of its commitment to the "Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer." China's reduction of ozone-depleting substances accounts for approximately half of the total reduction by developing countries. China has eliminated the production, use, and import and export of 17 of the 26 types of persistent organic pollutants listed in the "Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants," and reduced the dioxin emissions of three industries that are major emitters of dioxins by more than 15 percent. Furthermore, the state has established the National Committee for Biodiversity Conservation, enacted the "China Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2011-2030)" and signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury. China is an active and constructive participant in international talks on climate change, and makes robust efforts to bolster the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. China has made significant efforts in moving the Paris Agreement on greenhouse gas emissions mitigation toward adoption and taking effect, making it one of the fastest major international agreements ever to enter into force and further contributing to the world's sustainable development.

VIII. Promoting Common Development

China upholds the principles of mutual respect, equality of treatment, win-win cooperation, and common development, and promotes the interests of its own people and the common interests of other peoples. China supports the developing countries, especially the least developed countries (LDCs), in reducing poverty, improving people's wellbeing and the development environment, in order to build a human community of shared future.

Defending the right to development. As an original member state of the United Nations, China participated in drafting the Charter of the United Nations and signed it, facilitated the publication of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," upheld the principles prescribed in the "International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights" and the "International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," and facilitated the passing of the resolution on the new concepts of human rights and the resolution on the right to development. China participated in all the previous meetings of the Group of Governmental Experts of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) for drafting the "Declaration on the Right to Development," and made an important contribution to the formal adoption of the Declaration in 1986. China has always been a co-sponsor of UNCHR resolutions on the right to development, supporting the UNCHR's global debate on realizing the right to development, and consenting to the deliberation of the right to development by the UNCHR as a separate issue. Since the UNHRC was established in 2006, China has been elected as a member four times, and has contributed its wisdom and strength to making the right to development a mainstream issue.

Participating in the formulation of the development agenda. China was the first to voice support for the sustainable development strategy. It has supported and implemented the "United Nations Millennium Declaration," and achieved 13 of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. While effectively improving the protection of its own people's right to development, China has also promoted the common development of the world. It has helped the international community to pass and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and issued "China's Position Paper on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and "China's National Plan on Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." At the G20 Hangzhou Summit, China joined other countries in formulating the "G20 Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and the "G20 Initiative on Supporting Industrialization in Africa and Least Developed Countries," adding impetus to the overall development of all countries and developing countries in particular. In September 2015 China and UN Women co-organized the Global Summit of Women, and implemented the goals related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Expanding the path to development. Over the years, based on the principle that all countries are entitled to choose their own social systems and development paths, China has expanded its development mindset and philosophy, and joined other countries in seeking equitable, open, all-round and innovation-driven development. China strives for equitable development for all countries and for developing countries in particular, so that all countries can become participants in and contributors to global development and equitably share the interests of development. China calls on all countries, which share the same development goals yet are at different development levels, to take on common but differentiated responsibilities. China has advocated the developing countries' right to a greater voice in formulating the rules of the global governance system. China keeps the open-door policy while pursuing development. It joins other countries in upholding the multilateral trade regime and promotes the free flow of production factors around the world so that the achievements of development will benefit all parties and people in all countries. China pursues all-round development, to achieve balanced development between economy, society and environment, and to realize harmony between humanity and society, and between humanity and nature. China promotes innovation-driven development, addresses problems arising in development by means of development, and fosters new core competitiveness. China places great value on the leadership of the United Nations, encourages regional economic integration, and improves its competitive development by integrating the strengths and advantages of various parties, so as to fully release its development potential. (mo