I. Overall Implementation

During the two years 2009 and 2010, China faced the most difficult economic situation since entering the new century, but it also made remarkable achievements in promoting human rights by comprehensively implementing the National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-2010) while rising up to various challenges. The Chinese government has embraced respecting and safeguarding human rights as one of the major principles for managing state affairs; incorporated the implementation of the Action Plan into all work promoting social reform, development and stability; appropriately tackled the impacts of the global financial crisis; defeated the grave challenges posed by severe natural disasters; forcefully advanced reform and opening-up, and the modernization drive; and comprehensively fulfilled the goals and tasks set by the Action Plan, thereby making significant progress in promoting the cause of China' s human rights.

- Upholding the principle of putting people first, appropriately addressing the heavy toll brought about by the global financial crisis and the challenges posed by major natural disasters, and unswervingly advancing the cause of human rights

During 2009 and 2010, an unprecedented global financial crisis spread throughout the world, which imposed a heavy toll on global economic and social development, and posed severe threat to people's life and human rights. Facing this tough situation, the Chinese government persistently incorporated addressing the financial crisis and maintaining sound and relatively rapid economic and social development with implementing the Action Plan and advancing the cause of human rights in China; integrated expanding domestic demand, adjusting the economic structure and maintaining economic growth with improving people's livelihood; and took prompt measures with an investment of over four trillion yuan. The Chinese government accelerated subsidized housing projects, rural infrastructure construction, health care and education projects, railway, highway and airport construction, and ecological and environmental construction, and raised rural and urban residents' incomes, especially that of low-income groups, thus taking the lead in realizing overall economic recovery and improving the people's life with tremendous achievements obvious to all. In 2009 and 2010, China's GDP increased by 9.2 percent and 10.3 percent, urban residents' disposable income by 9.8 percent and 7.8 percent, and rural residents' net income by 8.5 percent and 10.9 percent respectively over the previous year. China's unremitting efforts to address the global financial crisis not only ensured its stable and relatively rapid economic development and the continuous improvement of its human rights situation, it also made significant contributions to helping other countries shake off the financial crisis, achieve economic recovery and improve their people's livelihood.

In 2009 and 2010, China suffered several major natural disasters, shouldering the heavy task of disaster relief and rescue, post-disaster reconstruction, and facing tremendous challenges to people's lives and property and human rights. On May 12, 2008, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 - the most devastating and widespread since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 - hit Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, with an affected area covering about 500,000 sq km, including a severely stricken area of 130,000 sq km, leaving 69,227 persons dead, 17,923 missing and 370,000 injured, and a direct economic loss of 845.1 billion yuan. On April 14, 2010, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu, Qinghai Province, with 2,698 persons dead and 270 missing. On August 7, 2010, a landslide in Zhouqu, Gansu Province, resulted in two thirds of the area being flooded, 1,501 persons dead and 264 missing. Facing these severe natural disasters, the Chinese government persisted in putting the security of people's lives on top of its work agenda, and promptly organized disaster relief and rescue work, doing everything to save as many lives as possible and reduce losses to the minimum, thus writing a new chapter in the history of humanitarian rescue. During the post-disaster reconstruction, the Chinese government, upholding the principle of putting people first, respecting nature, and conducting overall planning and scientific reconstruction, promptly adopted multiple disaster relief policies and measures, and incorporated the safeguarding of human rights into policies and measures for disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction. The Action Plan has specific stipulations on safeguarding human rights during the post-disaster reconstruction of Wenchuan. Over the past two years, the three-year Wenchuan post-disaster reconstruction task has been basically completed; the basic living conditions of disaster victims and the economic development of disaster-stricken areas has either equaled or exceeded the pre-disaster levels, with guaranteed housing and employment for every family. Following the Yushu earthquake and Zhouqu landslide, reconstruction proceeded in an orderly manner, and the human rights of people in the disaster-stricken areas were effectively safeguarded.