Push for new developments in China's human rights

7. New progress has been achieved in international exchanges and cooperation regarding human rights. China has taken an active part in the United Nations' multilateral human rights meetings, has conducted constructive dialogues with various human rights treaty bodies. China earnestly performs the duties assigned to it by the international human rights conventions it has joined, and the country has conscientiously and responsibly submitted to periodic reports and undergone reviews of its implementation of relevant human rights conventions. In 2013, China passed its second Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council and was re-elected an HRC member state. In May 2014, when examining China's second report on its implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights praised China's actions as an "exemplary implementation of international human rights conventions". China has held more than 20 human rights dialogues with the European Union, the United States, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and other countries. China has successfully held the fifth, sixth, and seventh Beijing Forums on Human Rights.

In general, after more than two years of efforts, all the objectives set forth by the current phase of the Action Plan have been fulfilled. A majority of the overall targets set in the Action Plan have been at least halfway completed. Yet while acknowledging our achievements, we must also be clearly aware that we still face difficulties and challenges in the course of implementing the Action Plan. On one hand, as a large developing country that is fraught with problems from unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development, China still suffers from insufficient economic and social development and significant imbalance between different regions and between urban and rural areas. All of these problems constrict the improvement of human rights protection in China. On the other hand, China is currently facing the completion of a critical phase in the construction of an all-around prosperous society, and the country's process of reform has entered a "deep-water zone," in which we will confront many protracted difficulties. Catastrophic accidents and public health or social safety emergencies are becoming more frequent, and there are still many violations of the socialist principle of governance through law and infringements on people's rights and interests. More efforts are needed to achieve all the goals set forth in the Action Plan within the prescribed time.

Second, upon in-depth review of its successful attempts to advance the cause of human rights, China will unswervingly follow the path of developing socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics.

Respecting and safeguarding human rights is an important principle that the CPC has adopted in administering the governance of the country, and it is also an important part of adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have adhered to the socialist concept of human rights with Chinese characteristics for many years, continuously deepening our understanding of the process of constructing human rights in new circumstances, taking China's actual conditions into account while learning from the experiences of foreign countries. In the face of new circumstances and new tasks, we must doubly cherish our hard-earned achievements and experiences and correctly understand the scientific connotations of the path to develop socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics so as to constantly advance the cause of human rights in China.