China has made substantial achievements in the promotion and protection of human rights, particularly since the start of its reform and opening up in 1978, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Monday.

The Chinese people won national independence in 1949, and since then "a fundamental social and political system for the promotion and protection of human rights has been established," said Li Baodong, Chinese ambassador to the UN Office in Geneva.

"With its launch of reform and opening up and its historic modernization drive in 1978, China has begun a new chapter in the promotion and protection of human rights," Li told a session of the 47-state UN Human Rights Council.

The Council was examining China's human rights record according to a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) system, which was initiated last year to review records of all UN member states so as to help improve human rights conditions worldwide.

Li told the Council that China has made great achievements in poverty reduction, as a result, the country had become the first in the world to meet the poverty reduction target set in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The average life expectancy of Chinese citizens has risen to 73 years, seven years higher than the world average, and the maternal mortality rate has dropped to 36.6 per 100,000, 60 percent lower than the figure in 1978 when the reform was first initiated, he added.

China has also made great progress in education. By the end of 2000, the entire country has realized universal nine-year compulsory education.

China has met ahead of schedule the targets of "universal primary education" and "eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education" set in the MDGs, Li said.

China has also worked consistently to improve its legal system. Since 1978, the National People's Congress (NPC) and its Standing Committee have enacted nearly 250 laws relating to the protection of human rights.

The notion of the rule of law and the notion that the State respects and safeguards human rights were codified in the Chinese Constitution in 1999 and 2004 respectively.

Besides, China has endeavored to promote democracy, enhance democratic institutions, improve the system of people's congresses, and reinforce political consultations among the political parties.

China also seeks to guarantee judicial independence and impartial administration of justice through continued reform and improvement of its judicial system.