It is of critical importance for the world to see the progress made by China in promoting human rights. Xi Jinping: On Respecting and Protecting Human Rights is the most authoritative work in this regard.
It offers an extensive review of how the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government have devoted themselves to respecting and protecting human rights for more than 100 years. China had been plunged into a precarious situation, a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society, where human rights were a luxury. The condition was symbolized in a structural metaphor, Diary of a Madman, authored by Lu Xun (1881-1936), who is widely acclaimed as the “Father of Modern Chinese Literature” for his profound understanding of cannibalistic nature of Chinese feudal values. These values were so entrenched that even an upper-class family described by Ba Jin (1904-2005) in his semi-autobiographical novel Family became shackles of love, freedom and life in the eyes of Chinese youth. These two literary masterpieces may indicate why it took Chinese people over 100 years to break these shackles and enjoy human rights. This noble cause is led by the CPC. Since its founding, the Party has distinguished itself for its commitment to democracy and human rights through a series of liberation campaigns.
A review of modern Chinese history shows that the CPC is the only political group that commits itself to seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and to respecting and protecting human rights. The wide range of human rights enjoyed by Chinese people today are not a windfall or a handout from others. They are created out of relentless pursuit of Chinese people who are led by the CPC, many of whose members sacrificed themselves.
The pursuit is given a systematic review in Xi Jinping: On Respecting and Protecting Human Rights which presents how the CPC combines Marxist thought on human rights with national context and fine traditional Chinese culture. The book also reflects on how a Chinese path to human rights was explored by borrowing useful experiences from other countries, understanding the changing needs of the times, and befitting Chinese context. This path has six distinguishing features: (a) upholding CPC leadership; (b) respecting the principal position of the people; (c) adopting a pragmatic approach based on the Chinese context; (d) respecting rights to survival and development as a primary consideration, and respecting people’s right to lead a happy life as the ultimate right; (e) protecting human rights in accordance with law; and (f) playing an active role in promoting human rights within the framework of global governance.
This book can deepen readers’ understanding of how the CPC and the Chinese government respect and protect human rights. More importantly, it provides key takeaways for other countries to learn from. The most important one is to stick to the path to human rights based on the national context. Human rights are both universal and highly context-dependent. Without considering the context in the dimensions of society, politics, history and culture, the debate over human rights will only end up in empty rhetoric. The key to Chinese success in promoting human rights is the consideration of the national context. In the same vein, the assessment of whether a country is successful in promoting human rights should only be made by its people, rather than standards adopted by other countries, not to speak of double standards.
