Promoter of causes
China once again regained its seat in the United Nations Human Rights Council with 180 votes on Oct 28. This is the fourth time China has become the member of the top UN human rights body with a high percentage of votes.
China played an active role in the negotiations and final vote on the establishment of the UNHRC on March 15, 2006; it became the human rights body's member for three years after winning 146 votes on May 9 in the same year. In May 2009, China regained its seat by winning 167 votes. Since UNHRC rules say a country can be a member for only two consecutive terms, China resumed its three-year membership again after winning 176 votes on Nov 12, 2013.
The number of votes won by China has steadily risen in the past decade－it is the highest among the Asia-Pacific group and the second-highest among all candidates. A country needs more than half of the UN General Assembly members' votes to become a member of the UNHRC, and China has gained more than two-thirds of the General Assembly's votes four times. This means China has won the recognition of most countries in the international community.
The 180 votes won by China this time indicates the international community is satisfied by China's performance during its third tenure in the UNHRC from 2014 to 2016. In the past three years, China has taken active part in the council's activities and fulfilled its due responsibilities.
That China has got a seat in the UNHRC for the fourth time also indicates the international community approves of China's measures to protect human rights, because candidate countries' records in human rights protection are important factors that influence voters' decisions. So China will use its fourth term as a member of the UNHRC as an opportunity to push forward international human rights causes.
Defender of rights
That China has won a seat for the fourth time in the UNHRC since the council's formation in 2006 is proof that it has fulfilled the demands of human rights protection and succeeded in its human rights diplomacy.
As an ancient civilization, China has been confident of its path, theory and culture for building a socialist society, and its belief in its human rights practices is an important part of that confidence.
The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have always combined human rights protection with the country's realities, paying special attention to improving people's livelihoods, promoting social justice and fairness, strengthening human rights protection and guaranteeing people's legal rights in the course of economic and social development.
China has followed a human rights development path that suits its national conditions. And top leader Xi Jinping has said China will always combine human rights protection with peaceful development.
China strongly believes the rights to subsistence and development are two important parts of human rights, and that is its contribution to the international human rights movement.
China has vowed to eliminate poverty by 2020, and implement an innovative, coordinative, environmentally-friendly, open and sharing development concept. The aim is to serve the people and ensure sustainable and people-first development.
China supported the UN to pass the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, appealing to countries to bridge the gap between developing and developed countries. And the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, in September passed an action plan for the G20 to help implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, making it suitable for concrete action for the first time.
China is an important power defending the rule of law and helping maintain peace across the globe. And at home, it is implementing its third State Human Rights Action Plan (2016-20).
Luo Yanhua is a professor of international relations at Peking University.
Liu Huawen is executive director of Human Rights Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
