This year marks the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. In keeping with the theme of “Peace and Development” of the Beijing Forum on Human Rights, President Xi Jinping wrote a congratulatory letter to the forum, focusing on the victory of the World Anti- Fascist War and the cause of development of human rights in China, and profoundly making statements on the right to peace and the right to development. An earnest study and comprehension of these statements will be of great significance to our unswerving adherence to taking the path of human rights development with Chinese characteristics and promoting the cause of development of human rights in China and the rest of the world.
 

The right to peace is an important part of human rights, which means that individuals, countries and mankind all have the right to lead a peaceful life. President Xi highly attaches great importance to the right to peace. In the letter, he wrote, “The Chinese people, having gone through much suffering in modern times, know very well the great significance of human value, basic human rights and human dignity to social development and progress, and especially cherish the hard-won peaceful environment for development.” Individuals and countries are both main subjects of the right to peace. To realize this right, national independence and state sovereignty must be safeguarded. During the World Anti-Fascist War and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, it was just for achieving this goal that tens of millions of people advanced dauntlessly in wave upon wave in fighting the German fascists and the Japanese militarists, giving their lives. 
 

How to realize the right to peace? President Xi pointed out that a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation at the core should be built and a community of common destiny for mankind should be established. Regardless of whether they are large or small, whether they are powerful or weak, and whether they are advanced or late in development, all countries are equal members of the international community. The right of all countries to independently choose their own social systems and paths of development should be respected. Only by doing so, can the world be peaceful, and can the right to peace enjoyable by all countries and their peoples be truly realized. The Chinese people bear history in mind and cherish peace. In the early period following the founding of new China, China first established the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence with India and other countries and later jointly advocated the Ten Principles of Peaceful Coexistence with Asian and African countries. The Chinese government safeguards national sovereignty and world peace, establishing a positive environment for the development of countries and nations. 
 

The so-called right to development refers to the right of individuals, nations and countries to actively, independently and meaningfully participate in the development of various causes and to equally enjoythe interests and rights brought about by development. China always considers the right to development to be an important part of human rights. As President Xi has pointed out, China sticks to combining the universal principle of human rights with the realities in the country in keeping promoting socioeconomic development and people’s well-being, remarkably promoting protection of the people’s right to survival and development to higher levels. After the founding of new China, the country, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), very swiftly restored its national economy that had been ruined in long-term chaos caused by war. Since the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee was held (in 1978), we have accelerated the development of a socialist market economy and the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics, working out a path of development with Chinese characteristics, and realizing sustainable and rapid development of national economy. On the basis thereof, China has focused efforts on reducing the number of people living in poverty, keeping promoting the people’s living standards and realizing coordinated development of all rights of the people.
 

In realizing the right to development within the context of closer interconnection of the international community and in-depth development of economic globalization, all countries should not only ensure that they themselves and their peoples will be able to realize development, but should also make concerted efforts with the international community to remove the various barriers to development. In the congratulation letter, President Xi emphasized that the international community should actively promote the global human rights cause, and should, in particular, pay attention to the right to survival and the right to development of the peoples in all developing counties. Although China is a developing country, it has always offered great assistance to countries which suffered natural disasters, destruction in wars and large-scale infectious diseases for quite many years. In an address delivered at the U.N. Development Summit of 2015, President Xi announced that China would set up a South-South cooperation fund with initial capital of U.S.$2 billion to help developing countries to achieve the Post-2015 Development Agenda; would continue striving to increase investment in the least developed countries to the tune of U.S.$12 billion by 2030; and would write off debts arising from interest-free intergovernmental loans owed by the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing countries due by the end of 2015. Such approaches which concern the right to survival and the right to development of the peoples in developing countries have won high commendation from the international community.
 

In the congratulatory letter, Xi also said that to realize sufficient enjoyment of human rights by the people was a common goal that human society strives for. Exchange and mutual reference among different civilizations should be strengthened, to promote exchange and cooperation among the peoples of all countries, which is also an important part of the right to peace and the right to development. China has been a united multi-ethnic country since ancient times. Experience in development for long proves that mutual study, solidarity and mutual assistance among nations is an essential guarantee for fighting foreign aggression and safeguarding national sovereignty, territorial integrity, social development and peaceful life. As a result of differences in social systems, history, cultures, ideological conceptions and religious beliefs, it is unavoidable for the different civilizations across the world to have differences among them.. But judged from the perspective of the course of historical development, all groups of civilizations have made their own contribution to social development and progress in civilization in intercourse of long duration. Just like what President Xi has said, different civilizations cannot be distinguished from one another by standards of superiority or inferiority, and they can be distinguished by their respective characteristics only. Therefore, exchange and dialogue among different civilizations and different modes of development should be promoted, in order that they can learn from each other's strong points to offset their own weakness in competition and comparison, and realize common development in exchange and mutual reference.
 

As the right to peace and the right to development supplement each other, they are both of vital importance to the cause of human rights. The right to development makes up the basis of human rights while the right to peace is the guarantee thereof. In-depth reflection on and study of the right to peace and the right to development and fulfillment of both rights in light of realities will promote better development of the cause of human rights in China and the rest of the world..

 

* LIU Hainian (刘海年), director of the Center for Human Rights Studies，Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.