Over 20 Chinese and foreign scholars exchanged opinions on human rights cooperation and achievement under the Belt and Road Initiative at a seminar held on the sidelines of the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday.

 

The seminar held via video link was jointly sponsored by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland.

 

Cai Lidong, vice-president of Jilin University in northeast China's Jilin Province, said that the Belt and Road Initiative is a vivid portrayal of promoting human rights progress within the framework of multilateralism, advocating and practicing the concept of cooperation among countries and contributing to global progress on human rights.

 

Fozia Nazia Lone, associate professor of the City University of Hong Kong, pointed out that China's efforts and achievements in poverty alleviation are the best examples of China's respect for and protection of human rights.

 

Lone noted that China actively practices multilateralism, carries out international cooperation on global public health and COVID-19 vaccines, and gives strong support to developing countries.

 

Otto Spijkers, professor at Wuhan University in central China's Hubei Province, delivered a speech on "Global Solidarity, Human Rights and the Pandemic".

 

Spijkers said that global solidarity is crucial in dealing with the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries need to deepen international cooperation and give full play to the role of human rights principles in dealing with the global public-health crisis, he told the seminar.

 

Zhang Wei, a professor with the institute for human rights at the China University of Political Science and Law, called on countries to replace conflicts with dialogue and zero-sum practices with win-win solutions to pursue common interests.