June 27, 2019 -- The 2019 edition of the annual China-Europe Human Rights Seminar opened in Vienna, Austria on June 21, bringing together around 100 experts and scholars under the theme of "Comparison of Human Rights Values between the East and the West".
Tom Zwart, professor of cross-cultural law, Utrecht University
The China-Europe Human Rights Seminar brings Chinese and European experts and scholars together, allowing them to sit down together and learn from each other, said Tom Zwart, professor of cross-cultural law, Utrecht University, in an interview with en.humanrights.cn.
Countries around the globe should communicate with each other and seek for shared views on how international relationship develops, rather than enforcing some particular idea of what the world should be, which is not working, said Zwart.
“Difference is not a problem. What we should do is to learn from each other and to promote mutual exchange, which is so important,” Zwart added.
Gerd Kaminski, executive vice-president of the Austria-China Friendship Association
Gerd Kaminski, executive vice-president of the Austria-China Friendship Association, told humanrights.cn that in spite of all differences, the West and the East have the same aims, goals and shared values on human rights.
To bring all these experts from China and Europe together is conducive to realizing mutual understanding and a better evaluation and understanding of China’s human rights approaches, Kaminski said.
YURY Boychenko, head of the Anti-Racial Discrimination Section of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
YURY Boychenko, head of the Anti-Racial Discrimination Section of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the significance of China human rights practices comes from the significance of the country. China has been an important player in the UN human rights council, the security council and the general assembly. Therefore, the position of China on global issues has been very important.
As for the seminar, Boychenko thinks it’s a very good opportunity for dialogue. Scholars from China and Europe meet and discuss here to find a common ground, which turns out to be fruitful.
Peter Peverelli, assistant professor at the School of Business and Economics, and director of the China Research Centre, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Peter Peverelli, assistant professor at the School of Business and Economics, and director of the China Research Centre, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said that when two countries interact, whatever the topics are, such as trade, art, exchange or even political dispute, they will find they have their own way to organize their countries. If all nations in the world can practice one particular principal, this seminar won’t be possible. It’s very necessary to have this kind of seminar because some other countries and international organizations are constantly intervening in other countries’ internal affairs, Peverelli points out. The Unites States has positioned itself as the super leader in human rights affairs, but is losing its significance. So this is also an opportunity for both Europe and China to pronounce themselves with the plural principles and ideas on human rights, said Peverelli. By: Jia Puyu |
