In the morning of October 15 local time, the eve of the 34th World Food Day, Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech entitled “Promoting Agricultural Modernization Through Family Farming” at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.

 

Li Keqiang expressed that the theme of this year’s World Food Day is “Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth”. Meeting the food demand through household agriculture also conforms to China’s reality. China’s reform and opening-up started from rural area 30-odd years ago. By implementing the household contract management system and other reforms and developing household agriculture, China has managed to solve the food and clothing problem for the people, helped hundreds of millions people shake off poverty and reached the UN Millennium Development Goals ahead of schedule.

 

From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 

 

Visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi has reaffirmed that the affairs of Hong Kong fall within China's domestic affairs, in which no countries have the right to interfere, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here on Sunday.

 

Yang clarified China's position on issues concerning Hong Kong during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on October 18th, Qin told reporters.

 

Yang voiced hope that the U.S. side will be discreet with its words and deeds and refrain from supporting, in any form, such illegal activities as "Occupying Central," Qin said.

 

From: Xinhua[page]

 

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 27th called for promotion of rule of law and comprehensively deepening reform.

 

Xi made the remarks at the sixth meeting of the Leading Group for Overall Reform. He said reform needs rule of law as its guarantee, while rule of law needs reform.

 

The fourth plenary session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), held in Beijing last week, adopted decisions on "major issues concerning comprehensively advancing rule of law." In November last year, the CPC Central Committee passed a decision on comprehensively deepened reform. Xi called the two companion pieces.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Beijing police launched an anti-terror drill on October 27th to guarantee security for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings scheduled to be held in Beijing in November.

 

Without being informed of the exercise, police officers from different departments handled simulated terror incidents in 35 minutes at two venues for the meetings, the China National Convention Center and Yanqi Lake, said a spokesman with the capital's public security bureau.

 

The drill's spokesman said the exercise was aimed at testing the responsiveness and coordination of police forces in the face of terrorist attacks.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

October 30th, according to the reports from the People's Supreme Procuratorate, the People's Supreme Procuratorate released the new amendment of Regulations on Whistleblowing Work of People’s Procuratorate, which specified the rights of whistleblowers including the personal safety protection and the reward to whistleblowing contributors.

 

The regulations stipulated that the people’s procuratorate who received the real name tip-offs shall be responsible for the risks of assessment, whistleblowers protection plan should be made to prevent and handle the revenge behaviors to whistleblowers if necessary.

 

From: chinahumanrights.org[page]

 

 

 

China's top legislature decided to designate December 4 as national Constitution Day amid efforts to enhance the document's implementation and advance the rule of law.

 

Nationwide activities to promote the Constitution will be held on the day, according to a decision adopted at the bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress which ran from November 3 to November 7.

 

China's top legislature adopted the Constitution on December 4, 1982 based on a previous version enacted in 1954.

 

The day is set to enhance social awareness of the Constitution, promote its spirit, and strengthen its implementation, according to the decision.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China and the United States made an unprecedented joint pledge on November 12 to cut greenhouse gas emissions, a historic step that is expected to drive more countries on board to negotiate a new agreement in Paris next year.

 

China announced it intends to achieve peaking of carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 and to make its best effort to peak early, according to a joint announcement made by President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama in Beijing on November 12th.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

On November 14th, 2014, nearly 50 domestic experts and scholars gathered in Suzhou, having a discussion "China under the rule of law China and human rights". President of China Society for Human Rights Studies Luo Haocai delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, he said rounding the construction of the Socialist System of the rule of law with Chinese Characteristics, strengthen the human rights protection, promote the legalization of human rights and push the development of human rights.

 

Luo Haocai said, the human rights protection is closely related to the construction of the rule of law, the rule of law must adhere to the people's principal position, "the core of the rule of law should always be to protect human rights".

 

From: chinahumanrights.org[page] 

 

 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that they were opening and increasing detention centers to handle with the rapid increase of illegal women and children immigrants from Central America according to the reports of AFP. This plan was instantly criticized by human rights organization.

 

The officials of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the detention center in Texas will start to receive illegal women and children immigrants from Central America in December and send them back to their country in proper time, which was a US signal to warn Central Americans not to risk illegal immigrants.

 

From: chinahumanrights.org

 

 

Chinese leaders have urged all-out rescue efforts after a 6.3-magnitude quake hit the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The provincial and civil affairs authorities must be swift in organizing rescue and relief work and do their best to minimize casualties, said President Xi Jinping, who was visiting Fiji.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

 

The 12th China-Germany Human Rights Talks was held in Berlin on December 4. Director-General of the Department of International Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Li Junhua and commissioner of Human Rights Affairs of Germany Federal Chancellor Rodney Strasser jointly held the meeting. Officials from China Supreme People’s Court, the United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Justice, and State Administration for Religious Affairs attended the meeting. Both sides exchanged views on human rights values and discussed different forms of discrimination and international human rights cooperation issues and etc. China comprehensively introduced China’s development on human rights fields, especially major issues concerning comprehensively advancing rule of law of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. China hopes Germany could change their standings to think and objectively view the human rights progress of China, strengthen mutual understandings and respects by frank exchanges and develop the constructive cooperation. China showed concerns on existed issues on social toleration, refugee and immigrant rights, and women rights protection in Germany.

 

From: chinahumanrights.org[page]

 

 

The 33rd China-Europe Dialogue on human rights was held in Brussels on December 8th. Both sides exchanged views on human rights values and discussed major issues such as international human rights cooperation and women rights.

 

Director-General of the Department of International Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Li Junhua and director-General of the Department of East Asian Affairs of EU External Action Sabatier co-chaired the dialogue and officials from some important institutions including the Supreme People's Court, the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee also attended the dialogue.

 

The Chinese side presented a comprehensive introduction to China’s progress in various fields of human rights, in particular the decision adopted at the 4th Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee to comprehensively promote the rule of law, hoping that Europe could view China’s progress in human rights objectively on equal and respectful principle and that the two countries could enhance mutual understanding and respect through sincere communication and carry out constructive cooperation. 

 

From: chinahumanrights.org 

 

 

The second International Seminar on Human Rights and Museology focused on cherishing peace and safeguarding human rights, according to a statement from the event on December 10th.

 

The seminar attracted more than 100 attendees, including Chinese war experts and representatives of warfare museums from 15 nations and regions, including Russia, the Republic of Korea and Brazil.

 

"Lessons from WWII and its implications on the course of human rights" and "shared responsibility in safeguarding the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War" were among the topics discussed by the attendees.

 

From: Xinhua[page]

 

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping said December 13th that denial of the Nanjing Massacre will not be allowed by the Chinese people or peace-loving people anywhere in the world.

 

The Nanjing Massacre, committed by Japanese aggressors, was one of three major massacres during WWII. It was an atrocious anti-human crime and a dark page in the history of humanity, Xi said while addressing a state commemoration for China's first National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims.

 

"Anyone who tries to deny the massacre will not be allowed by history, the souls of the 300,000 deceased victims, the 1.3 billion Chinese people, and all people who love peace and justice in the world," Xi said.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Justice may have arrived too late for Huugjilt, who 18 years ago was wrongly sentenced and subsequently executed for rape and murder, but China's legal system proved the truth will out on December 15th, 2014.

 

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Higher People's Court officially announced that Huugjilt had not raped and murdered a woman in a public toilet in Hohhot on April 9, 1996.

 

He was sentenced to death and executed in June the same year. He was only 18 years old.

 

Although justice has finally been served, it has come too late for the innocent boy, and his family will continue to suffer under the dark cloud that their innocent son was snatched from their lives.

 

From: Xinhua  

 

 

The central government vowed to instill the rule of law in ethnic affairs. Regional autonomy law must be implemented; relevant laws and rules concerning ethnic minorities must be revised and improved; and issues in ethnic affairs must be addressed within the boundaries of the law, according to a guideline on ethnic affairs work published by the State Council on December22, 2014.

 

The guideline aims to improve the nation's work on ethnic affairs, outlining measures such as promoting economic growth, promoting understanding among different ethnic groups, promoting the consciousness of the community of the Chinese nation, and promoting the rule of law.

 

From: Xinhua[page]

 

 

On December 22, the State Council promulgated the Provisional Regulations on Real Estate Registration, which came into effect on March 1, 2015. According to this Provisional Regulations, the state will implement a unified real estate registration system, which is of great importance for protecting the various real estate-related legal rights and interests of the right holders.

 

 

China has been working effectively toward goals set by the National Human Rights Action Plan (2012-2015), with most quantitative targets at least half fulfilled in the past two years, a senior official said on December 23rd, 2014.

 

"China has made considerable progress in human rights protection," said Cai Mingzhao, director of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) at an interim review meeting on the action plan.

 

From: Xinhua   

 

 

On December 30, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate promulgated the Regulations on Guaranteeing Lawyer’s Practicing Right according to Law, which expressly stipulated that procuratorial authorities shall guarantee lawyer’s six rights according to law. These rights include the right of meeting during criminal proceeding, the right to apply for evidence collection and acquisition, the right to read files, the right to know, the right to raise views, and the right to deputize in civilian and administrative proceeding. This Regulation urges procuratorial authorities to safeguard judicial justice, the right of interested parties to be tried fairly, and other rights.

 

 

On January 6, the Supreme People’s Court promulgated the Interpretations of Several Matters Concerning Laws Applicable for Civilian Environmental Proceeding for Public Welfare. Environmental proceeding for public welfare is an important system for promoting environmental protection, preventing environmental violations and guaranteeing citizen’s environmental rights and interests. On the same day, the Supreme People’s Court, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Civil Affairs jointly promulgated the Notice on Implementing the System of Civilian Environmental Proceeding. [page]

 

 

 

The city of Shanghai was steeped in sorrow as citizens and victims' families visited the site of the New Year's Eve stampede to mark the seventh-day commemoration of the tragedy on Jan.6,2015.

 

Braving freezing temperatures and drizzle, visitors laid flowers and winter clothes on the Chen Yi Square near the Bund area, where the stampede killed 36 people and injured 49 others.

 

There were tearful moments for relatives of the victims, some of whom, overwhelmed by sorrow, fainted at the site and were attended to by medical staff on stand-by.

Many held portraits showing the young faces of the deceased.

 

From: Xinhua  

 

 

On January 7th, People’s Court of Tongshan District in Xuzhou took a special case raised by Civil Affairs Bureau of Tongshan District to apply for cancelling custody of the convicted girl’s parents and arrange approriate guardian for her.

 

This case was the first case to apply for cancelling custody since January 1st , 2015 when major opinions on dealing with guardians violating teengers’ rights was released.

From: Chinahumanrights.org   

 

 

 On January 10, the first issue in 2015 of the revised Human Rights magazine by the China Society for Human Rights Studies was published in Chinese, followed by the English version on February 10. From 2015, the China Society for Human Rights Studies will entrust the School of Law and the Center for Human Rights Research of Renmin University of China to undertake the Human Rights magazine. The Society has re-positioned the revised magazine and demanded that it should be developed into a professional academic magazine in the human rights field and represent the highest level of human rights studies in China. The magazine has the following mission: following the right political direction, guided by the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and aspiring for academic innovation. It strives to help people at home and abroad to better understand China’s human rights cause, comprehensively demonstrate and promote China’s innovation in human rights theories and narrative, and pay timely attention to the progress in international human rights theories and practices. The magazine also endeavors to advance China’s dialogue and communication with other countries in human rights, enhance the international influence of China’s voice in this area, and tell a good “China story” of human rights in an academic approach.[page]

 

 

According to the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every individual and every organ of society "shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction."

 

The declaration stated in Article 26 that "education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms."

 

From: China.org.cn   

 

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the war on corruption was far from over, despite the country's many achievements. Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was speaking at a key meeting during the fifth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), which opened on January 12, 2015.

 

Other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee -- including Premier Li Keqiang, top legislator Zhang Dejiang, top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng as well as Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli -- attended the meeting, together with many other senior officials. CCDI chief Wang Qishan presided over the meeting.

 

From:Xinhua[page]

 

 

On January 14, the State Council promulgated the Decision on Reforming the Endowment Insurance System for Staff in Public Organs and Institutions. The reform observes the following basic principles: combining equity with efficiency, matching rights with obligations, aligning endowment insurance with economic development level, balancing the pre-reform and post-reform insurance level, solving prominent problems, and ensuring sustainable development. The basic endowment insurance system characterized by the combination of social pooling and individual account will be implemented, under which the basic pension shall be shared between the workplace and the individual.

 

 

On January 16, the General Office of the State Council printed and distributed the National Plan for Children’s Development in Poor Regions (2014-2020) (hereinafter referred to as the Plan). The Plan makes arrangements to further promote children’s development in poor regions, earnestly guarantee their survival and development rights and interests, and ensure all-process care and all-round guarantee from the government, family and society for their healthy growth. The Plan stresses that to ensure the health and education of rural children in concentrated and contiguous regions with special difficulties, guarantee and interference measures shall be taken from their birth to the end of their compulsory education. A safety net shall be woven to ensure the growth of children in poor regions and realize the goal that their overall development level shall approach or reach the national average in 2020. The Plan explicitly demands to focus on two key areas of children’s development - health and education, take into account their benefits and safety, and well implement tasks in five aspects. First, with regard to the health of newborns, focus on several key tasks, including the comprehensive prevention and treatment of birth defects, nutrition of pregnant and lying-in women, and health management of pregnant and lying-in women as well as newborns. Second, with regard to the improvement of children’s nutrition, promote breast feeding of 0-6-month-old babies, expand the pilot scope of nutritional improvement for infants, better policies on nutritional subsidy for students in the stage of compulsory education, and adopt other interference measures. Third, with regard to medical care for children, fulfill a series of tasks including children’s health check, disease prevention and control, medical security, health service, and physical and mental health. Fourth, with regard to the guarantee of children’s education, a range of policies and measures are laid out, such as carrying out early education for infants, accelerating the development of pre-school education, well developing compulsory education in rural areas, promoting informatization in rural schools, and ensuring students’ growth in safety. Weak links in education in regions with special difficulties shall be prioritized. Fifth, with regard to the education of and care for children with special difficulties, policies and measures are put in place to enhance the benefits, special education, assistance and protection of left-behind children, orphans, handicapped children, waifs and the like.[page]

 

 

President Xi Jinping visited the quake-hit area of Ludian County in Yunnan province on Jan. 19, 2015, inquiring about the livelihoods of the quake victims in the winter, Xinhua News Agency reported.

 

August's magnitude-6.5 earthquake left at least 617 people dead with another 112 people missing and 3,143 people injured. It also forced the relocation of 254,000 residents and affected more than 1.08 million people.

 

Xi told the quake victims that he feels for the loss of family members and friends, and was very concerned about how they were faring during the winter and with the reconstruction work.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China Ministry of Foreign Affairs special representative on human rights Liu Hua and department of human rights and social affairs of Brazil Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gith Leoni held first human rights negotiations in Brasilia, capital of Brazil on Jan.19, 2015. Both sides exchanged views on human rights situations, multilateral human rights cooperation and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and so on.

 

From: Chinahumanrights.org  

 

 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presided over a meeting with experts and business leaders to seek opinions on the government work report on Jan26, 2015, which will be officially unveiled in March.

 

Li said the government must capitalize on both government regulation and market force to make them twin engines for growth. China should accelerate the upgrading of traditional industries and the growth of emerging sectors and balance growth with restructuring to ensure medium-to-high speed of growth with higher quality.

 

The country's macroeconomic policies must become more timely, accurate and well-targeted to keep economy in a proper range, according to the premier.

 

In 2015, more efforts will be made on deepening reforms of the fiscal and financial systems, boosting the real economy, promoting innovation, improving people's lives and preventing risks.

 

From:  Xinhua [page]  

 

 

Director General of Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said that the Malaysian government officially declared MH370 an accident on Jan.29, 2015, and all 239 people on board the plane were presumed dead.

 

From: Xinhua  

 

Supreme People’s Court : Listening to Defending Attorney’s Views Concerning Review of Death Penalty

 

On January 29, the Supreme People’s Court promulgated the Methods on Listening to Defending Attorney’s Views Concerning Review of Death Penalty. The Methods puts forth new measures to earnestly guarantee the defense attorney’s right of defense according to law for defendants in the review of death penalty, which is favorable for ensuring the quality of such cases.