Praise for China's human rights

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-11 07:43

GENEVA -- Several countries that participated in a United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva on Monday praised China's "tremendous achievements" in promoting and protecting human rights.

The 47-state council examined the country's human rights record according to its new Universal Periodical Review system.

During the three-hour hearing, open to all UN member states, the Chinese delegation presented a report outlining the country's progress and challenges in the field of human rights.

The delegation also answered questions and responded to recommendations from other states in an interactive dialogue.

Since the founding of New China in 1949, "a fundamental social and political system for the promotion and protection of human rights has been established", said Li Baodong, head of the Chinese delegation.

"With the launch of reform and opening up and its historic modernization drive in 1978, China has opened a new chapter in the promotion and protection of human rights," he added.

Many delegations said they were "deeply impressed" by China's achievements over the past 60 years, and particularly since the start of its reform and opening up in 1978.

"China has made tremendous progress, a lot of achievements, particularly in social and economic life," Valery Loshchinin, Russia's ambassador to the UN Office in Geneva, told Xinhua.

China has really taken "a big leap forward" in the human rights field, notably in poverty reduction, which was very difficult to do in such a big country with such a huge population, said Loshchinin.

Nepal's head of delegation, Dinesh Bhattarai, too, said he was "quite impressed" with China's achievements.