Nation makes impressive advances in human rights

Third, we have upheld the concept of ruling in the people's interests and protecting the interests of the people. Traditional Chinese culture emphasizes that people are the basis of a country, which echoes two old Chinese sayings: "The people are the foundation of a country; the country will be safe if the foundation is firm" and "The most critical thing for politics lies in the heart of people". The Chinese government requires officials at all levels to constantly bear in mind the government's mission and principles, always put the people first, take the stance of the people as their fundamental political stance, and hold on to the idea of serving the interests of the people and remaining loyal to the people. All work should be conducted for the sake of the people, and we should stay true to ideas of ruling for the people, establishing close ties with the people, acting in the best interests of the people, and serving the people in a down-to-earth and sincere way.

Fourth, the Chinese government has placed great emphasis on the harmonious relationship between people and nature during the course of modernization. The harmonious relationship between nature and people, which is a typical concept in traditional Chinese culture, refers to the fact that human behavior should be conducted in compliance with nature's rules to achieve harmony between people and nature. For the sake of people's environmental requirements, the Chinese government has proposed the concept of ecological civilization. This will set tasks for an ecological civilization, set targets for people's peaceful coexistence with nature, ensure recycling, and well-rounded development and sustainable prosperity. Furthermore, it will set up a sustainable economic development pattern and rational consumption pattern, address the need for the balanced development of both people and nature, and construct an ecological environment.

Since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, China's human rights undertakings have seen remarkable achievements that have gained worldwide acknowledgement and ushered in a new phase of development.

The lives of Chinese people have been improved significantly and a historic leap has been made to lift people out of poverty to xiaokang, or moderately well off. From 1978 to 2010, China's gross national product per capita grew rapidly from $200 to more than $4,000. The income of urban and rural residents also increased dramatically, with net income for rural residents growing 44 times from 133.6 yuan to 5,919 yuan and disposable income for urban residents growing 55 times from 343.4 yuan to 19,109 yuan. The ratio of income spent on food for urban and rural residents, i.e. Engel's Coefficient, has fallen by 20.96 percentages points from 56.66 percent to 35.7 percent, and fallen by 26.61 percentage points from 67.71 percent to 41.1 percent, respectively.

The living conditions and environment for both urban and rural residents have also been greatly improved, with per capita living floor space rising from 4.2 square meters and 8.1 sq m to more than 22.6 sq m and 31.6 sq m, respectively. The number of modern home appliances owned by urban and rural residents has multiplied, as the purchasing of home appliances has become more widespread. Also, durable goods undergo constant updates and more families can afford a car. People have a greater choice of cultural and environment activities and they spend more on them.

The number of people in rural China living in poverty has been dramatically reduced. Through the implementation of the 87 National Plan for Priority Poverty Reduction and China Rural Poverty Alleviation and Development Outline (2001-2010), China has stepped up aid grants for poverty-stricken areas, which has done an extraordinary job in alleviating poverty and managed to lift millions out of poverty. In 1978, 250 million people lived in poverty, equivalent to 30.7 percent of the rural population. At the end of 2010, 26.88 million people in China's rural areas lived in poverty, accounting for 2.8 percent of the rural population. China's achievements in poverty alleviation have contributed enormously to the world's anti-poverty efforts, and gained wide praise from the international community.