The Cause of Human Rights in China Has Entered a New Era

  The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was an epoch-mak- ing Party Congress. The Congress solemnly declared that “socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era”. With the major change in China’s historical po- sition, the cause of human rights in China has also entered a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. As professionals of human rights theory in China, we should consciously undertake the historical task of promoting the development of the  cause of human rights in China in the new era. I’d like to share my understanding of “The Cause of Human Rights in China has Entered a New Era” from four aspects:
 

Ⅰ.  The Cause of Human Rights in China in the New Era is a Great Cause under the Guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

During the 19th CPC National Congress, the innovative theories since the 18th Na- tional Congress have been summarized as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chi- nese Characteristics for a New Era. As the the latest achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, it has been included in the Constitution of the Communist Par- ty of China as the guide to action of the Party together with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development.

We should take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide in promoting the develop- ment of the cause of human rights in China, including research into human rights the- ories with Chinese characteristics. Meanwhile, we should pay special attention to the profound thoughts of Xi Jinping on human rights with Chinese characteristics and use them to guide our work. In fact, General Secretary Xi Jinping has provided consider- able insight into the issue of human rights and we have studied his insight earnestly in the past few years. Now we need to look into such thought together with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and combine them with the previous ideas of the CPC on human rights to form a human rights theory system with Chinese characteristics.
 

Ⅱ. The Cause of Human Rights in the New Era Should Continuously Satisfy the People’s Ever-Growing Needs for a Better Life in Solving the Principal Contradiction Facing Chinese Society in the New Era

It is a scientific methodology in On Contradiction by Mao Zedong and the practi- cal experience of the CPC to determine the social development stage and key work for different stages based on the principal contradiction and its feature of change. This is also a scientific methodology for targeted research to solve the human rights problems in China from the perspective of the country’s realities rather than the so-called “uni- versal values of human rights”. In semi-colonial and semi-feudal China, the key issue for the cause of human rights in China was to seek national independence and the peo- ple’s liberation in the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle so that the Chinese peo- ple could gain independent collective human rights. After entering the primary  stage of socialism, especially since reform and opening up, the focus of the cause of human rights in China has been to solve human rights issues at the same time as solving is- sues such as the “problem of food and clothing”, “striving for a relatively comfortable life” and “building a moderately affluent society in a comprehensive manner.” The most important issues include the fundamental rights of survival and development.
 

Today, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era and the prin- cipal contradiction facing Chinese society has evolved to the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s ever-growing needs for bet- ter lives. Meanwhile, the basic dimension of the Chinese context — that our  country is still in the primary stage of socialism — has not changed. In this case, building on continued efforts to sustain development, the Party and the country must devote great energy to addressing development’s imbalances and inadequacies, and push hard to improve the quality and effects of development. With this, we will be better placed to meet the ever-growing economic, political, cultural, social and ecological needs of our people, and can promote well-rounded human development and all-round so- cial progress. Accordingly, the cause of human rights should keep up with the times. While continuing to safeguard the rights to survival and development, we should pay more attention to satisfying the human rights of people in democracy, the rule of law, equity, justice, security and the environment, as well as in other areas. This issue was pointed out in the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC. For example, it was clarified that we should “strengthen legal protection for human rights”, and stressed that “Advancing law-based governance in all fields is a profound revolution in Chi- na’s governance” and proposed that “we will strengthen oversight to ensure compli- ance with the Constitution, advance the review of constitutionality and safeguard the authority of the Constitution”. In another example, it is clearly pointed out that “we should protect people’s personal rights, property rights and right to dignity” in “es- tablishing a social governance model based on collaboration, participation and com- mon interests”. In other words, the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics sets higher requirements and a broader scope for the cause of human rights in China. When we look into the human rights issues of the new era, we should focus on “con- tinuously satisfying the people’s ever-growing needs for better lives”.
 

Ⅲ. The Cause of Human Rights in the New Era is in the Context of Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Aspects and Em- barking on a Journey to Fully Build a Modern Socialist China

According to the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, socialism with Chinese characteristics entering a new era means that the Chinese nation, which since modern times has endured so much for so long, has achieved a tremendous trans- formation: it has stood up, grown rich, and is becoming strong. “To become strong” refers to the proposal that on the basis of finishing the construction of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, a two-step approach, namely hard work of “two sets of fifteen years”, should be taken to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the middle of the century. The new tasks and “two-step” development approach put forward during the 19th National Congress of the CPC point out the brilliant prospects for the Chinese nation paint the blueprint for achieving the beautiful lives of the Chi- nese people and set the guidelines for realizing socialist modernization. The “standing up” of the Chinese people is the first great leap in the cause of human rights in China, “growing rich” is the second great leap of the cause of human rights in China and “becoming strong” is certain to realize a new great leap of the cause of human  rights in China. In order to further “respect and protect human rights”, we should look into human rights protection during the historical cause of the Chinese nation to “become strong” in “building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and embarking on a journey to fully build a modern socialist China”.