Remarks by H.E. Wang Yi
Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and
Minister of Foreign Affairs
At the High-level Segment of the 55th Session of
The United Nations Human Rights Council

February 26, 2024

Mr. President,
Dear Colleagues,

Protecting and promoting human rights is a common cause for all humanity. At the moment, the world is becoming more turbulent, crises and conflicts keep flaring up, and deficit in global human rights governance is widening. The ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict has cost the lives of nearly 30,000 civilians, and left close to two million people displaced. The situation is indeed saddening. It falls upon the entire international community to protect the human rights of all ethnic groups and all people in a fair, equal and effective way.

We must put people first. Safeguarding people’s interests must be the basis and goal of the human rights cause. People’s right to survival and development should be protected as a priority and pursued with a greater sense of urgency.

We must uphold fairness and justice, stand against the attempts to use human rights as a pretext to interfere with other countries’ internal affairs or curb others’ development, oppose acts of hegemonism and power politics, and reject the practice of double standards.

We must stay open and inclusive, respect the diversity of world civilizations, and respect all countries’ right to independently choose their paths to human rights development. Countries should not impose their own values or development models on others, still less creating small blocs and aligning against those with different views.

We must pursue cooperation that benefits all. Consensus should be built through dialogue, and mutual learning enhanced through exchanges. Human rights must be protected and promoted by ensuring security, advancing development and enhancing cooperation. Emerging issues, such as the relationship between artificial intelligence and human rights, must be properly handled.

I would like to stress here that human rights bodies in the United Nations should carry out their work in a fair and objective manner, follow a non-selective and non-politicized approach, and place equal emphasis on all types of human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, and civil and political rights. Multilateral human rights bodies should serve as platforms for constructive engagement and cooperation for all sides, rather than a battleground for group politics or bloc confrontation.

Mr. President,

The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have all along endeavored to deliver a better life for the Chinese people and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We have made substantive progress in advancing China’s human rights cause, and found a path to human rights development that is in line with the trend of the times and consistent with our national conditions. We have eradicated absolute poverty once and for all, bringing moderate prosperity in all respects to the 1.4 billion-plus Chinese people. We have made sustained efforts to advance whole-process people’s democracy, providing more robust guarantee for ensuring our people’s right to run the country. We have put in place the world’s largest education, social security and health care systems, giving our people a greater sense of accomplishment, happiness and security.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups. People of different ethnicities and communities are equal in enjoying human rights. With a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, the 56 ethnic groups are sticking together like the seeds of a pomegranate.

As a responsible major country, China plays an active part in global human rights governance. We have contributed efforts to the conclusion of a series of important international conventions and declarations on human rights. The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind represents a shared aspiration of people of all countries. It also injects strong impetus into human rights protection worldwide.

Mr. President,

Human rights protection is an ongoing process. There is always room for improvement. China is now working to deliver the fruits of modernization to its population in a more substantive and equitable way, and raising the level of human rights protection. As our future is closely tied to that of people around the world, we will actively champion the common values of humanity, and work with all sides to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and make new contributions to the healthy development of the global human rights cause.