Ministry says human rights not political tool

Tourists pose for a group selfie in front of the Temple of Heaven during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in Beijing, on Oct 4, 2020. （Photo/Xinhua）

China called on Tuesday for countries to respect the human rights development path independently chosen by countries in light of their national conditions, and opposed the practice of using human rights as a political tool.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remark at a daily news briefing, echoing speeches that Chen Xu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, has delivered to the ongoing 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Speaking on behalf of over 40 countries, Chen said he hoped that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will promote partnership through constructive dialogue and cooperation.

Chen said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the prolonged underinvestment in economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development by multilateral human rights mechanisms.

He called on the OHCHR to take concrete measures to increase its input in this respect, in order to help all countries, in particular developing countries, overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and achieve sustainable economic and social development.

Noting that the cause of global human rights is facing severe challenges, Zhao, the ministry spokesman, said there are nearly 800 million people living in extreme poverty worldwide, and the pandemic may lead 71 million people to fall back into poverty. The impacts of the pandemic on poor people in particular should be reduced, he added.

As poverty elimination itself is an embodiment of promoting and protecting human rights, China maintains that countries should take coordinated measures while advancing economic, social, cultural and environmental development, pursuing poverty reduction and safeguarding human rights, Zhao said.

China holds that countries should put people first, safeguard and improve the livelihoods of people, and earnestly ensure the rights of disadvantaged groups, so that no one will be left behind, Zhao said.

In an interactive dialogue with Juan Mendez, the special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, that was held by the UN Human Rights Council last week, China expressed concerns over police violence and torture in the United States.

Zhao said at the news briefing that Washington has no qualification to claim itself as a "human rights defender" and point fingers at other countries' human rights.

He called on the council and Mendez to ramp up attention to the moves by Washington that have seriously infringed upon human rights and urged Washington to take concrete actions to redress relevant problems.