— Review of the Symposium on the 20th Anniversary of the Publication of Human Rights magazine

 

YAN Wenguang*

 

Abstract: Human Rights magazine and the Center for Human Rights Studies of Renmin University of China held the Symposium on the 20th Anniversary of the Publication of Human Rights magazine on May 18, 2022. More than 30 experts and scholars from various universities and academic journals gathered online to discuss such topics as “an in-depth learning of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches on respecting and protecting human rights”, “review and prospect of the 20th anniversary of the publication of Human Rights magazine”, and “the role of the academic journal platform on promoting the development of china’s human rights theories”. They studied Xi Jinping’s important speeches on China’s path of human rights, probed into the original concept of China’s human rights, and developed the discipline system, academic system, and discourse system of China’s human rights, providing insights for such academic journals as Human Rights to boost China’s human rights in theory and practice.

 

Keywords: Human Rights magazine · China’s path of human rights · theoretical innovation · academic journal platform

 

The year 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Human Rights magazine, China’s first professional Human Rights magazine. On May 18, 2022, Human Rights magazine and the Center for Human Rights Studies of the Renmin University of China held a Symposium on the 20th Anniversary of the Publication of Human Rights magazine, to put General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech on China’s path of human rights into practice, summarize the experience of running the magazine for 20 years, meet the new requirements for running the magazine in the new era as the cause of human rights develops, and improve its academic standard and influence. More than 30 academic colleagues were invited to participate in the online symposium to grasp the essence of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech on respecting and protecting human rights, review and summarize the 20-year experience, and discuss the role of the academic journal in promoting the development of China’s theory in human rights, to steer Human Rights toward to goal of development.

 

 

At the start of the symposium, the attendees studied the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech on the path of human rights in China at the 37th group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on February 25, 2022. Lu Guangjin, Secretary General of China Society for Human Rights Studies, Head and Editor-in-chief of Human Rights magazine, said that the group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping had ushered in a beautiful spring for human rights research, featuring two “first time” milestones. It is the first time that the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a group study session on human rights issues and the first time that the General Secretary of the CPC made a systematic and comprehensive speech on China’s path of human rights. The important speech, a programmatic document of the CPC on human rights, summarized the valuable experience learned during the past 100 years of struggle, called for the respect and protection of human rights in the new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way, and heralded the arrival of the new stage of China’s cause of human rights. The speech was therefore of profound significance. The speech signified important theoretical innovations, which mainly lie in the following aspects: First, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed that to respect and protect human rights is a persistent pursuit of the CPC, unifying the nature and purpose of the CPC with respecting and protecting human rights, which is an ideological liberation. Second, he pointed out that, in the practice of advancing the cause of human rights, China has blazed a path of human rights development that is consistent with the trend of the times and suits the nation’s conditions, demonstrating that the outlook of China on human rights goes beyond the boundary, and is global and epoch-making. Third, Xi Jinping pointed out that China embraces a human rights philosophy that centers on the people. Fourth, he pointed out that efforts should be made to promote the comprehensive development of the human rights cause, and the level of human rights protection should be improved in an all-round way in the coordinated development of the five civilizations, and a view of human rights featuring comprehensive development takes shape. Fifth, he stressed that China sees the rights to subsistence and development as the primary basic human rights. Subsistence is the basis for all human rights and living a happy life is the biggest human right for the people, so the rights to subsistence, development, and happiness have been the distinctive features of human rights in the new era. Sixth, Xi Jinping proposed that human rights are historical, concrete, and realistic. Human rights cannot be detached from the context of different social and political conditions as well as history and cultural traditions in different countries. The speech lays the foundation of the theoretical system and discourse system of human rights of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. It is a new development of the Marxist theory of human rights, and the latest achievement of the Marxism theory of human rights adapted to modern times and Chinese conditions. It has clarified the basic points for unswervingly following the path of human rights in China, and has answered a series of questions, such as what banner to hold, what path to take, and how to develop China’s human rights cause based on its national conditions, the trend of the times and its future development. The speech has five practical implications. First, it defines respecting and protecting human rights as the unremitting pursuit of the CPC, and justifies the CPC as a party that respects and protects human rights. Second, it indicates that China has embarked on a path of human rights that conforms to the trend of the times and its national conditions. We used to define the path of human rights development that suits our national conditions, and now we have the “trend of the times” added, which is of great significance. Third, it systematically summarizes the main features of China’s path of human rights. Fourth, it puts forward the key tasks and missions for the future development of China’s human rights cause, of which the most important is to promote the all-round development of the cause of human rights, i.e., to make further progress based on emphasizing that the rights to subsistence and development are the primary basic human rights, and demands improved protection of human rights in all aspects through coordinated development of material, political, spiritual, social and ecological progress. Fifth, the historical responsibility of promoting the development of human rights in China has been proposed to Party Committees at all levels and relevant comrades in charge. 

 

Professor Liu Hainian, Honorary Director of the Human Rights Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping has always attached great importance to the cause of human rights in China. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the importance of putting the people first, clearly stated that “living a happy life is the biggest human right for the people,” and emphasized that helping the people to live a good life is the starting point and goal of all the work of the CPC. The CPC Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as its core takes respecting and protecting human rights to be a key task of China’s governance, and promotes the cause of human rights in China making historical achievements. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s statement on respect for and protection of human rights is an important part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Marxist theory on human rights is the critical inheritance of Enlightenment Thought on human rights by the writers of Marxist classics, with the characteristics of analyzing the so-called freedom, equality, and democracy in a certain historical context by applying historical materialism and dialectical materialism, and clarifying that no equal freedom and equal human rights between opposing classes exists, since as long as property is still in the hands of capitalists, democracy is nothing but a disguise for hoodwinking the public. It convincingly argues that the bourgeoisie brutally suppress the human rights demands of the working class. To enjoy human rights, the proletariat have no choice but to be the ruling class by means of revolution, to win democracy, and replace private ownership with socialist communism. Only in this way can the proletariat realize the liberation of the working class, the liberation of all mankind, and the free and all-round development of human beings. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s insightful and comprehensive interpretation of human rights is and will continue to guide the construction of human rights in China and promote the development of human rights around the globe. Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as its core, China is committed to participating in the global governance of human rights, promoting common human values, and building a community with a shared future for human beings. Even though China is still a developing country where the per capita GDP remains at a relatively low level and tens of millions of rural people have just been lifted out of poverty, it firmly supports other developing countries and underdeveloped countries with manpower and material resources and public goods and has sent peacekeeping troops to many countries. The Belt and Road Initiative initiated and popularized by China has brought tangible benefits to the social and economic development of participating countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. All of these have been highly praised by people around the world.

 

Professor Fu Zitang, Vice President of the China Society for Human Rights Studies and President of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said that the leadership of the CPC is the fundamental guarantee of China’s human rights mechanism, and the people-centered approach is the fundamental idea pursued by China’s cause of human rights in the new era, and the promotion of the free and all-round development of human beings is its basic target. This is the fundamental goal of China’s human rights cause in the new era. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, the CPC has always been a party that respects and protects human rights. Since its birth, the CPC has taken it as its goal to seek happiness for the people and development for mankind and has continuously improved its respect for and protection of the basic rights of the Chinese people. The CPC is the core force leading China’s cause of human rights. Only by upholding the leadership of the CPC can China make greater achievements in its cause of human rights. General Secretary Xi Jinping has grasped the essence of human rights from the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and method, to answer the questions of the era, the people, and the world about human rights in his strategic, forward-looking, and creative statements, meeting the new requirements of the new tasks for the cause of human rights under the new situation. Xi Jinping’s important speech on respect for and protection of human rights derives from the Marxist theory on human rights while keeping abreast of the times, achieving a historic leap and serving as the latest achievement of creatively adapting to China’s conditions. It has made a historic contribution of originality to the theory and practice of human rights in the new era. 

 

Chen Shiqiu, counselor of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, and Chairperson of the Academic Council of the Center for Human Rights Studies of the Renmin University of China believes that it is urgent to strengthen research on human rights, which is reflected in the following aspects: (1) We should improve the people’s cognition of human rights, which is of particular urgency for the Party and government leading cadres, and servants in public security organs at all levels. (2) China is striving to achieve its Second Centenary Goal, and faces many urgent tasks, such as improving the protection of human rights. It is required to address the pressing needs and aspirations of the people so that they can share in the fruits of economic, social,cultural, political, and ecological development and have a greater sense of gain, happiness, and security. (3) The desensitization of human rights remains to be a top priority. Since the human rights issues in China have a certain degree of sensitivity as they have failed to be entirely desensitized, the research related to them has not yet been implemented in a down-to-earth manner. (4) There are some shortcomings such as trafficking in women and children, counterfeiting, and fraud, in the construction of human rights in real life, which need to be further improved. (5) We should counterattack the United States and other Western countries on human rights, and doing our human rights work well is the most powerful tool for doing this. (6) We should strengthen mechanisms to guarantee the rule of law. Promoting social equity and justice and improving people’s well-being should be taken as a mirror to examine the mechanisms, systems, policies, and regulations in various areas. Where there is a problem that is inconsistent with the promotion of social equity and justice, reform should be carried out. Reform should focus on areas where problems are sharp and urgent. He pointed out that there are several urgent tasks to be fulfilled in human rights governance. First, a national organ on human rights should be set up, which was called for by the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights and should be prioritized in our research. Second, colleges and universities should popularize elective courses on human rights with an emphasis on related education. Third, more non-governmental organizations should be involved to focus on and study a variety of human rights issues.Fourth, China should actively participate in global human rights governance, further highlight the diplomatic activities in the field of human rights, and contribute to a more just, reasonable, and inclusive global human rights system. We should keep consolidating the united front against the US hegemony on human rights, to end the dominance of the US-led western human rights discourse system.

 

Professor Qi Yanping, Director of the Center for Science, Technology and Human Rights Research at the Beijing Institute of Technology, pointed out that if we sum up China’s human rights development over the years in one sentence, it is that China’s human rights research and education have found the way to the era of taking China as the main body, the center, and the method. We should conduct research on human rights centered on China’s practice which means that we should treat other countries equally, especially the Western human rights theories and practices. Different from the focus on the individual in the West, China does not advance individuality but people as a whole. With concerted efforts, we’re committed to national subsistence and national development, which is in line with the people-oriented concept and the idea of the whole world as one community in our traditional culture. Therefore, with the development of society, China has grown from rich to strong economically. Instead of being close to the West, China features more obvious uniqueness, which means that China’s theory on human rights and the discipline system, academic system, and discourse system of human rights are different from those in the West.

 

Du Huanfang, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Law School, Renmin University of China, proposed that it is our historical responsibility to tell the story of China’s cause of human rights properly, especially to promote the development of global human rights with the brilliant human rights concepts of China and the Chinese nation. In the 37th group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that we should rely on the vivid practice of China’s human rights development to generalize original concepts and develop a discipline system, academic system, and discourse system for China’s human rights. Two months later, on April 25th, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Renmin University of China and delivered an important speech. He put forward new judgments, new thoughts, and new requirements for the prosperity and development of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, and especially proposed to build China’s independent knowledge system and emphasized that, without an independent knowledge system, discipline system, academic system, and discourse system, the goal would lose its anchor. We should make a creative transformation in ways, methods, and means, promote innovative development in content, and build Chinese theories and thoughts. Therefore, the study of human rights under socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era needs to better respond to the people’s yearning and demand for a better life, put forward China’s independent human rights propositions with a strong local sense, and strive to make more systematic, constructive, scientific and persuasive Chinese human rights theories.

 

 

Human Rights, first published in 2002, is the journal of the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the first dedicated magazine in China on human rights. After the revision in 2015, its academic and professional level has been further improved. In their speeches, the experts and scholars reviewed the 20-year development of Human Rights magazine, expressed their congratulations on its 20th anniversary, and made valuable suggestions for its further development.

 

Lu Guangjin, Secretary General of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, and Editor-in-chief of Human Rights magazine holds that the development of the magazine has witnessed three stages: (1) In the initial stage (2002-2014). Human Rights was produced as a pamphlet, focusing on the promotion of human rights, both theoretically and intellectually. (2) In the transition stage (2015-2020), Human Rights perfected its management system, improved its quality, and enhanced its academic level authoritatively and internationally. Since its first issue in 2015, Human Rights has developed from a pamphlet to an academic journal with 160 pages per issue. Its Chinese version was undertaken by the Law School of the Renmin University of China and the Center for Human Rights Studies of the Renmin University of China, while the English version was translated and distributed by the Human Rights Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law. (3) The new stage (from 2021 on). With years of efforts, Human Rights has continuously improved, with growing influence and wide recognition. In 2021, Human Rights was rated as a CSSCI source, with 200 pages per issue, and its research level has been generally acknowledged. It also foreshadows new requests for the quality of the magazine.

 

Zhang Wanhong, Director of the Institute of Human Rights at Wuhan University has made conducted a cloud analysis of the keywords based on revised Human Rights and found that from 2015 to 2021, a total of 405 articles were published in Human Rights, among which keywords such as “development”, “Convention on the Protection of Rights” and “protection” were ranked in the top 20, alongside law, with more diverse disciplines included such as political science and Party history, except for law. Zhang Xiaoling, a professor at the Human Rights Research Center of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said that Human Rights magazine has the following characteristics: First, it combines theory with practice. Since its founding 20 years ago, the journal has always combined the basic principles of Marxism with the reality of China’s reform, opening up, and modernization, and applied the theory of human rights under socialism with Chinese characteristics to analyze and study the major human rights issues we are faced with. Second, it integrates external publicity and internal education. The primary task of Human Rights magazine is to tell China’s story of human rights and introduce China’s human rights philosophy and achievements to the outside world. With the development of society and the need for China’s cause of human rights, Human Rights has placed domestic human rights education in a key position, and the combination has had a notable effect. Third, it combines theoretical publicity and theoretical research. While continuing to publicize major decisions and plans as well as policies on human rights issues by the Party and the state, the magazine focuses on the research and argumentation of these major decisions from the theoretical and academic aspects and has made important contributions to promoting the understanding of the development law of human rights under socialism with Chinese characteristics, advancing the construction of the human rights discipline in China, and building our own human rights discourse system. Fourth, it combines theoretical research and countermeasure research. In the course of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, the journal attaches great importance to the study of countermeasures of the major theoretical frontiers and practical issues related to human rights in the course of reform and opening up and socialist modernization and provides references and suggestions for improving the systems and policies of the Party and the state.

 

Zhu Liyu, professor of the Law School at the Renmin University of China, and Executive Deputy Editor-in-chief of Human Rights indicates said that when Human Rights was first published in 2002, Li Peng, the then Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, sent a congratulatory letter. Originally, Human Rights was positioned as a publicity publication, opening a window for the international community to understand China’s human rights by telling human rights stories, discussing human rights theories, and holding human rights dialogues. Professor Zhang Xiaoling points pointed out that Human Rights magazine, in over the past 20 years, Human Rights magazine has played an important role in publicizing and researching the socialist concept of human rights with Chinese characteristics, researching major theories and practical issues of human rights, promoting the construction of China’s human rights discipline system, and publicizing China’s human rights achievements. It has become the highland and bellwether of human rights publicity and theoretical research. She made some suggestions for the development of Human Rights: First, it should further research and publicize the important speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping and play a leading role in the study and publicity of the spirit of his important speeches. Second, guided by the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, it should carefully summarize the historical experience in the theory and practice of human rights since the founding of the CPC, study the new practical experience, historical achievements, and theoretical results since the 18th CPC National Congress, tell the stories of China’s human rights properly, perfect China’s human rights theory, generalize the concept of originality, and develop the discipline system, academic system and discourse system of human rights in China. Third, it should expand the scope of human rights education and make new contributions to the publicity and popularization of human rights knowledge; Fourth, it should further the study of countermeasures to human rights issues. 

 

Professor Chang Jian, Director of the Human Rights Research Center of Nankai University, said that Human Rights magazine is of unique significance and value, and is the academic home for promoting China’s cause of human rights as well as the academic research on human rights. Human Rights has gradually changed from a publication that mainly publicizes policies and tells stories to an academic journal, which provides an important position for human rights studies. Since the magazine is named Human Rights and is supported by the government, academia, and other circles, it has become a banner for advancing the cause of human rights. Professor Lu Zhi’an, Executive Deputy Director of the Human Rights Research Center of Fudan University, held that Human Rights magazine is a window to summarize and publicize China’s human rights practices, reveal China’s rich human rights practices and concepts, promote the development and spread of China’s human rights theories, and advance the development of human rights with Chinese characteristics. He expressed the hope that the journal could, as an academic exchange platform for international human rights, Western human rights, and Chinese human rights in theory and practice, further guide, lead, and promote the innovative research of human rights theories with Chinese characteristics and the improvement of human rights theories in China, further study China’s human rights practices, summarize the experience and analyze problems, and better lead China’s human rights practices through theoretical research.

 

Professor Mao Junxiang, Executive Director of the Center for Human Rights Studies, Central South University, said that the journal should be a banner for researching China’s human rights theories, the authoritative platform for interpreting General Secretary Xi Jinping’s key speeches on respect for and protection of human rights, an essential reference for interpreting the Marxist view of human rights, human rights factors in excellent Chinese traditional culture, contemporary Chinese views on and practice of human rights, and a frontier for human rights theoretical research in China for the international community, and the source of new academic thought on international human rights. In recent years, the editorship of Human Rights has become more professional with more forward-looking topic selection, a richer source of articles, better quality, and being quoted more frequently and used as a reference for high-quality articles. Human Rights has become the most important platform for the theoretical study of human rights in China.

 

He Zhipeng, Executive Director of the Human Rights Research Center of Jilin University, put forward suggestions from the perspectives of practice and theory, individuality and commonness, and construction and destruction. He said that Human Rights has undergone a transformation from practice to theory, but practice cannot be abandoned, and some features of the past should be retained. Meanwhile, although human rights are the common dream of people all over the world, the development of human rights in Chinese law should have its own personality. How to find unity and differentiation on this point is an important task for Chinese human rights theorists. In addition, Human Rights magazine should consider showing the human rights theories and practices of other countries, making full use of the excellent practices of foreign countries, and absorbing the practices of other countries, international law, and relevant norms of the international community.

 

 

Qin Qianhong, professor at the Law School of Wuhan University and Editor-in-chief of Law Review, believes that human rights studies perform multiple functions. One of the important functions is to fully display the evaluating function in theory. Zheng Zhihang, Editor-in-chief of Human Rights Studies (collection) and Deputy Dean of the Law School of Shandong University, points out that academic journals should return to the understanding of human rights theory, construct human rights discourse, academic theory, and academic system with Chinese characteristics, with the emphasis laid on the research of how to realize human rights.

 

Professor Huang Wenyi, Editor-in-chief of China Legal Science and dean of the Law School of the Renmin University of China points out that the current academic journal platform in the field of human rights research can be divided into three tiers: the first tier goes to the main force, such as Human Rights, Human Rights Law, and Human Rights Studies. The second tier includes law periodicals, and the third tier refers to the comprehensive periodicals of philosophy and social sciences. All three tiers should play a key role in the innovation of human rights theory. Academic journals can guide human rights experts to conduct creative research, explain the Marxist view of human rights, views on human rights in contemporary China, and key speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping on human rights, and publish original and leading theoretical research results through column planning, topic selection, and commission for writing on given topics, to promote the building of the human rights discipline system, academic system and discourse system that embodies China’s grand vision and the global landscape. Wang Chunlei, Director of the Legal and Political Department of the Books & Newspapers Information Center of the Renmin University of China, pointed out that academic journals can go beyond a discipline in the selection of manuscripts with a broader perspective, and play the role of the platform, to pool the strength of the field of human rights research, and strengthen cooperation.

 

Professor Zhang Yonghe, Editor-in-chief of Human Rights Law and Executive Director of the Institute of Human Rights of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, believes that basic theories of human rights are very important, and Academic Journal should put more emphasis on the construction of human rights discourse in China and play a leading role. Wang Xixin, professor at Peking University Law School and Editor-in-chief of Peking University Law Journal, pointed out that the grand narrative and the vision should be integrated with real life, and that China’s stories should be told properly by triggering sympathy via an account of rights in daily life. Yang Jianjun, professor at the Northwest University of Political Science and Law and Editor-in-chief of Science of Law, points out that human rights research should focus on the experience of the development of human rights theory and practice in China, strengthen the empirical research on the problems existing in the development of human rights in China, and include not only grand narratives but also specific empirical researches with focus on protecting the rights of vulnerable groups, i.e., in analyzing some key judicial cases, the judicial path to realize the right is revealed in the way of “dissecting the sparrow”. Professor Zhang Wei, Editor-in-chief of Human Rights Studies and Co-director of the Institute for Human Rights at China University of Political Science and Law, holds that the cause of China’s human rights in recent years has attracted worldwide attention. We need to exchange our own development experience with international colleagues and actively participate in the global development of human rights and contribute to Chinese wisdom. For example, some excellent works can be translated into English and published in foreign publishing houses to show China’s cutting-edge achievements in the field of human rights research.

 

Professor Yang Qijing, Executive Deputy Editor of the Journal of Renmin University of China, believes that human rights studies provide tools for the international struggle against and veto the absolute one-sided view of human rights in the West, and should effectively promote the contemporary Chinese view of human rights. Professor Qian Jinyu, Executive deputy director of the Human Rights Research Center of Northwest University of Political Science and Law, says in the case that the Western world has built its human rights discourse system and theoretical system based on Western centralism, the number of human rights theories determines the strength of human rights discourse, and the spirit of human rights theory determines the strength of human rights discourse. Today, with the prosperity of new media such as Weibo, WeChat, and Twitter, traditional academic journals, including books, are still the basic platform for constructing the theoretical system of human rights discourse, and the frontier of journals is more prominent. Represented by Human Rights, therefore, the journals related to human rights are an important way to enhance the influence of China’s political civilization and realize its confidence in human rights culture, the nutrient, and auxin to strengthen Chinese cultural confidence, political confidence, and human rights confidence, which can further meet the urgent needs of national human rights strategy development and international human rights competition and cooperation.

 

 

Under the theme of “the 20th Anniversary of the Publication of Human Rights,” the attendees exchanged views on the important speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping on respecting and protecting human rights, summarized and reviewed the development course of the 20th anniversary of Human Rights, prospect the future development of the magazine, and discuss the role of academic journal platform in promoting the development of human rights theory in China. Since its founding, Human Rights has been adhering to the purpose of telling the story of human rights in China properly, combining theory with practice, publicizing and discussing the socialist view of human rights with Chinese characteristics, and relevant major theories and practical issues in this field. It has become an important position and window to show the achievements of China’s human rights construction. They hope that the magazine would give full play to the leading role and platform role in promoting the development of China’s human rights theory, generalize the concepts of originality with Xi Jinping’s speeches on respecting and protecting human rights as guidance and colorful practices of Chinese cause of human rights as the basis, enrich and develop the discipline system, academic system, and discourse system of China’s human rights, to keep promoting the innovation of human rights theory, and facilitate the exchanges and struggles in the field of human rights.

 

 (Translated by XU Chao)

 

* YAN Wenguang ( 闫文光 ), Ph.D candidate, Law School of the Renmin University of China.