The 2019 South-South Human Rights Forum opens in Beijing on Tuesday. Under the theme—“diversity of civilizations and global development of human rights,” the forum is hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A parallel session is held with the topic of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and Global Human Rights Governance.

 

Zhang Guobin said that in the 70 years since the founding of new China, our country has always forged ahead on the path of respecting and securing human rights. Especially, after the reform and opening up, the progress of China’s human rights cause is quite outstanding, and is developed together with China’s economic, political, cultural and social causes to provide the new model for the world’s human rights development. The achievements of human rights development need to be consolidated, and the experiences need to be promoted. International exchange and interaction need to be enhanced for the future path of human rights development in line with the practical national conditions in China. Since we entered the 21st century, public diplomacy has gained its increasing importance as a crucial field in international relations and diplomacy. As one of the key areas in the diplomacy for a new era, the implementation of public diplomacy in the field of human rights is very helpful for inspiring innovations and opening up the new path of human rights development.

 

1. The implementation of public diplomacy can help shape a better international image for China.

 

China has been taking actions proactively. Through one after another international events, we strive to demonstrate our achievements in development to the whole world. The concepts of international human rights conventions that foreigners can understand are used to publicize China’s socialist values on human rights, the modes of China’s human rights development and the achievements made in the field of human rights, targeted to eliminate the bias of scholars and the public in foreign countries. It can be said that the proactive implementation of public diplomacy can benefit out external publication of China’s views and achievements in human rights, and help the international society better understand China, improve China’s international status and enlarge our national influence.

 

2.The implementation of public diplomacy is helpful to the communication and mutual learning of the modes of human rights development.

 

Every country has discovered the distinctive strength and made great achievements in the path of protecting human rights development. We should, on one hand, encourage such demonstrations and sharing of the achievements made in human rights development, and on the other hand, respect achievements made by other countries. Features of human rights in different countries and regions require us to attach importance to the role of public diplomacy in enhancing communication and mutual learning among all countries and deeply discover the practical national conditions and people’s demands in all countries while we are conducting operations to coordinate and secure human rights. Thus, all views on human rights from systems of different political, economic and social natures and countries with different historical, religious and cultural backgrounds can be all taken into consideration; thus, the spirits of seeking common points while reserving difference, respecting each other, and enhancing understanding and cooperation can be applied in the coordination and protection of human rights.

 

3. The implementation of public diplomacy will help expand the scope and forms of cooperation and exchange on human rights.

 

In the past eight years, China held over 70 meetings of conversation on human rights with western countries and the developing countries, and launched cooperation programs with the United Nations human rights institutions in a proactive and steady manner. At the same time, domestic organizations like human rights research institutions, think tanks implemented public diplomacy proactively, and played a strong supporting role in expanding the contents and forms of human rights exchange. As General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed in his letter of congratulation for the opening of the first “South-south Human Rights Forum”, we should develop in cooperation, promote human rights in development, and constantly rise the level of human rights protection.

 

In conclusion, human rights development is a long-term theme, while public diplomacy will become the main measure for international exchange in the 21st century. We need to, on one hand, enhance the construction of researches and theories on human rights domestically, cultivate more scholars and experts in this field and strength our power of discourse internationally. On the other hand, effective exchange and cooperation mechanism for human rights needs further construction and development; public diplomacy on human rights needs to be promoted while communication and understanding in the field of human rights can be deepened, thus opening up new path of human rights development.