Cooperation on human rights urged

Soundbites

The foundation of human rights lies in people, and the most important human right is for people to live a happy life. Whether people's interests are safeguarded and their sense of gain, happiness and security is enhanced is an important criterion for testing countries' human rights status. There is no one-size-fits-all model of human rights in the world. Countries differ in social and political conditions, history and cultural traditions and they must, and can only, explore their own path of human rights development in light of their historical realities and people's needs.

Ma Zhaoxu, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

More than 150 of the 193 members of the United Nations member countries are developing countries, accounting for 85 percent of the population. The right to development is of paramount importance to these people and countries. The right to subsistence and development are the most basic human rights, which is also the consensus of a vast number of developing countries. Over the past decade, China has adhered to whole-process people's democracy, committed to high-quality development and opening-up, promoted common prosperity, and promoted the rejuvenation of China through Chinese modernization. China's achievements have ensured the right to subsistence and development of 1.4 billion people in the world.

Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency

CPC's (Communist Party of China) call is to expand the orderly political participation of the people, to strengthen the protection of human rights and the rule of law, and to ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms in accordance with the law. Thus, enhancing whole-process people's democracy enhances human rights. I have been visiting over 100 cities in China for research and interviews, books and essays, television and documentaries. Yet, as much as I thought I knew China, I did not appreciate all that is required for poverty alleviation until I visited poor regions, especially remote mountain villages and spoke with poor villagers.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation

I am convinced the cause for a community for a shared future for mankind is the pathway to peace as well as true human rights in the proper sense of development and the elimination of global poverty. I see the BRI(Belt and Road Initiative) emerging out of this very long and very profound history of China. Western political leaders, presently lack any insight into this very long and great history. They operate on the idea of the 'law of the jungle'. They consider brute power to be the solution to problems and they cannot trust anyone. This certainly lacks any substance for protecting or defending human rights.

Stephen Brawer, chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden