Padma Choling*

 

In the wake of the successful conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), we held a seminar themed on “Deeply Studying and Implementing the Spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and Adhering to the Chinese Path of Human Rights Development”. The event happened at the right time as it took place right after the congress and was of great significance. Here, I would like to share some of my views on how to study, promote and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress in the human rights sector. 

 

 

The 20th CPC National Congress is a very important meeting held at a critical time as the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups embark on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance toward the Second Centenary Goal. The congress reviewed and summed up the work of the Party in the past five years as well as the great changes in the first decade of the new era, expounded major issues such as opening up a new realm of Sinicization and modernization of Marxism as well as the unique features and essential requirements of Chinese modernization, scored a series of major achievements in politics, theory, and practice, and formulated key policies and strategies for the development of the cause of the Party and the country in the new era. The congress serves as a political declaration and a program of action for the Party to bring together the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and lead them in achieving new success for a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. 

 

The great changes in the new era are rooted in the establishment of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (“Two Establishments”). The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core formulates plans based on the overall situation concerning the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the profound changes of the world unseen in a century, and rallies and leads the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude. The CPC Central Committee has withstood various threats and challenges, and enabled the cause of the Party and the country to realize historic achievements and changes, bringing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation onto an irreversible path. 

 

The 20th CPC National Congress formulated guiding principles for diverse issues, set lofty political goals, and conducted in-depth theoretical studies. It set goals in a rational manner and closely connected and integrated them with strategic arrangements in practice. At present, a wave of studying and publicizing the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress is sweeping across the Party and the country. We must closely unite around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, deeply understand the decisive importance of the “Two Establishments”, boost our consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and stay in alignment with the central Party leadership (“Four Consciousnesses”), remain confident in the path, the theory, the system, and the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics (“Four Confidents”), and firmly uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership (“Two Upholds”). We should gain a deeper understanding of key issues such as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and the Chinese path to modernization, and make clear the historical, theoretical and practical logic of the major policies and strategies formulated at the congress to promote the development of the cause of the Party and the country. We should also keep in alignment with the CPC Central Committee and use the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress to guide China’s human rights theoretical studies and discourse system, so as to enhance our consciousness and confidence in the Chinese path of human rights development. 

 

 

Ensuring human rights are fully respected and protected is an important target set by the 18th CPC National Congress in the drive to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and comprehensively deepen the reform and opening-up. In his report to the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, fully recognized the historic achievements of China’s human rights cause in the first decade of the new era and called for ensuring better protection of human rights and a more complete and lasting sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security for the people. On the basis of accomplishing the First Centenary Goal, the 20th CPC National Congress drew a blueprint for the new journey that the Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups are embarking on in the new era. The top authority of the CPC, the ruling party of China, issued an authoritative document declaring that the country will stick to the Chinese path of human rights development, play an active part in global human rights governance, and advance the comprehensive development of its human rights cause. We must deeply study and understand the unprecedented, historic initiative and creative spirit demonstrated by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in pushing China’s human rights cause to a higher level. 

 

We should profoundly absorb the authoritative guiding role of the 20th CPC National Congress in China’s human rights development path. Respecting and protecting human rights is the unwavering pursuit of Chinese Communists. In his important speech when chairing the 37th group study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th CPC Central Committee on February 25, 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the Party has rallied and led the Chinese people to make unremitting efforts to fight for, respect, protect and develop human rights throughout its century-old history. In the practice of advancing the development of China’s human rights cause, the CPC has combined Marxist human rights concepts with China’s realities and fine traditional Chinese culture. By drawing on the successful experiences of the Party in uniting and leading the people to respect and safeguard human rights and learning from excellent achievements of human civilization, China has embarked on a human rights development path that responds to the trend of the times and suits its national conditions. Only the right path can lead us to a bright future. The 20th CPC National Congress reiterated that China will follow a Chinese path of human rights development, actively participate in global human rights governance, and promote the all-around advancement of human rights. It also provided clear answers to a series of important questions such as what human rights banner the CPC and the Chinese government will hold, what human rights path they will take, and what human rights goals they are trying to achieve. All of these manifest the Party’s unwavering political consciousness and historical commitment to rallying and leading the Chinese people to create a better life, and serve as a political declaration of Chinese Communists to firmly respect and protect human rights in the new era. 

 

We should deeply understand the strategic plan formulated by the 20th CPC National Congress for the development of China’s human rights cause. The congress made it clear that from this day forward, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that the process of realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, in essence, is a process of achieving social fairness and justice and advancing human rights development. The strategic plan to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, formulated at the 20th CPC National Congress, clarified the practical path to comprehensively advancing China’s human rights cause through a Chinese path to modernization. The Chinese path to modernization features the modernization of a huge population, common prosperity for all, material and cultural-ethical advancement, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development. It means that China is working to achieve modernization for over a billion people, a first in human history, and enable them to enjoy high-standard, high-quality and sustainable human rights, making new great contributions to advancing the global human rights cause and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

 

We should profoundly absorb the 20th CPC National Congress’ systematic deployments for the development of China’s human rights cause. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that we should take into account both domestic and international situations, be aware of the importance and urgency of human rights work, and make greater efforts to respect and protect human rights, so as to advance the healthy development of China’s human rights cause. The 20th CPC National Congress further pushed forward the implementation of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the FourPronged Comprehensive Strategy and made all-round arrangements for the goals and tasks for the next five years in a critical time when the drive to build a modern socialist country in all respects just took the first step. The congress called for upholding the people-centered principle in advancing economic development, democracy, the rule of law, ideological and cultural development, social fairness and justice, social governance, environmental protection, and others, and strengthening work in such fields as employment, income distribution, education, social security, healthcare, housing, senior care, and child cultivation. All of these conform to people’s aspiration for a high-standard and better life, meet their growing needs for various rights, and present a systematic top-level design for all-round human rights protection in coordinated economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological advancement.

 

We should deeply understand the 20th CPC National Congress’ epochal interpretation of the development of China’s human rights cause. Today, our world, our times, and history are changing in ways like never before. Facing the complicated international situation as well as the tough task to promote reforms, development and stability domestically, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, based on its deep understanding of changes in domestic and international situations, made the significant judgment that China has entered a period of development in which strategic opportunities, risks, and challenges are concurrent and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising. The 20th CPC National Congress emphasized the need to “accelerate the creation of a new development pattern, pursue high-quality development, exercise law-based governance on all fronts, advance the rule of law in China, modernize China’s national security system and capacity, and safeguard national security and social stability”. This manifests the distinctive feature and urgent requirement of human rights development in the new era, namely, safeguarding human rights with national security, guaranteeing human rights through the rule of law, and promoting human rights through development. 

 

We should profoundly absorb the 20th CPC National Congress’ resolute declaration that China will actively participate in global human rights governance. Human rights development is a shared cause for mankind. The CPC is dedicated to pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. It is also dedicated to human progress and world harmony. In his report to the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that we should expand our global vision and develop keen insight into the trends of human development and progress, respond to the general concerns of people of all countries, and play our part in resolving the common issues facing humankind. With an open mind, we should draw inspiration from all of human civilization’s outstanding achievements and work to build an even better world. Through pursuing a world in which everyone fully enjoys human rights, promoting the common values of humanity, practicing true multilateralism, playing an active part in the reform and construction of global governance systems, including human rights, and advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, the CPC demonstrates its responsibility for humankind and its commitment to the world to seek self-integrity, help others, and benefit the whole world in the new era. This also represents the Chinese people’s lofty proclamation to work together with people around the globe to create a brighter future for mankind. 

 

 

Since the Party’s 18th National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has considered respecting and protecting human rights a crucial component of state governance. As a result, China has made historic achievements in the human rights cause, and human rights have been better protected in the country. Over the past decade since China entered the new era, its human rights cause has realized new historic achievements, setting a milestone in the history of China’s human rights cause, the world history of human rights, and the history of human civilization. To build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects, the 20th CPC National Congress put forward a two-step strategic plan, of which the first step is to basically realize socialist modernization from 2020 through 2035. This drew a grand blueprint to respect and protect human rights and promote all-round advancements of human rights at a higher level, and laid the foundation for the new human rights monument that the Chinese people will build under the leadership of the Party along the new journey in the new era. 

 

The China Society for Human Rights Studies should rally and lead human rights researchers around the country to deeply study, implement, research and interpret the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we should fully understand the important thought’s worldview and methodology, effectively uphold and implement its standpoints and methods, strengthen our consciousness in politics, ideology and action, and unswervingly use the Party’s creative theories to arm our minds, guide our actions, and advance our work. We should make studying, promoting and implementing the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress our central political task for now and afterwards, keep in mind the “Three Musts” and the top priorities of the nation, stay abreast of our own work and posts, and take the lead to study, ponder and implement the spirit, and tell the stories of the Party and the government respecting, protecting and advancing human rights along the new journey in the new era. Focusing on major judgments and decisions of the 20th CPC National Congress, we should further reinforce the foundation for the research of human rights theories by eyeing global frontier studies, basing on China’s realities, exploring new materials, discovering new problems, putting forward new viewpoints, and constructing new theories, so as to increase the subjectivity, originality and competitiveness of Chinese human rights theories. 

 

The new era nurtures new thoughts, which in turn guide new practices and generate new theories. China’s achievements in the human rights cause and the Chinese path of human rights development both display the system’s superiority and practical feasibility of human rights development in a socialist society. We must always be highly attuned to the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, consciously study, promote and interpret the human rights connotations in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, promote contemporary Chinese human rights concepts based on China’s human rights practice, earnestly summarize new concepts, realms and statements with international influence, and constantly advance the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist human rights theories, so as to break new ground for building China’s human rights theory and discourse system. 

 

(Translated by LIU Haile)

 

 

* Padma Choling ( 白玛赤林 ), Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies. This paper is the main points of his speech deliverd at the seminar on “Deeply studying and Implementing the Spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and Adhering to the Chinese Path of Human Rights Development” held by the China Society for Human Rights Studies on November 8, 2022.