Tom Zwart

 

Abstract: In view of the decline of the liberal international order, the question arises how China will approach international relations, in particular those in the area of human rights. Speeches delivered by President Xi Jinping show that China will remain committed to the international order and multilateralism, while upholding national sovereignty and the principle of non-interference. It will stay loyal to its partnerships with developing countries, while calling for a bigger say of those countries in the international governance system.

 

In the speeches President Xi also calls for building a community of shared future for mankind. This aspiration to create a world truly shared by all is rooted in classical Chinese philosophy. It has harmony through diversity as its core, and it aims for cooperation on the basis on exchange and mutual learning. It based on the equality of states and strives towards win-win cooperation.

 

Translated to the field of human rights it seeks to bring an end to the domination of the liberal human rights approach while underscoring the importance of the contextual implementation of human rights. It will require procedural reforms which will replace antagonism with dialogue, criticism with encouragement, and lecturing with the exchange of best practices. These issues find support in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

 

Key words :community; shared future; harmony through the diversity; all-under-heaven; win-win cooperation; mutual learning; equality ; contextual implementation ;best practices