Berlin -- Over 60 officials and human rights scholars from 16 countries gathered in Berlin on Tuesday for the 2024 China-Europe seminar on human rights.

A seminar, themed "The Protection of New and Emerging Rights: Views from China and Europe," is held in Berlin, Germany on October 22, 2024. (Photo by Liu He)

The seminar, themed "The Protection of New and Emerging Rights: Views from China and Europe," was co-hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the Central South University Human Rights Center, organized by the German and Chinese Culture Foundation, and co-organized by the University of Munster and the International Academy for the Philosophy of the Sciences.

Ma Huaide, vice president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies and president of China University of Political Science and Law, said the protection of emerging rights has become a new issue in global human rights development. Ma emphasized China's efforts in protecting citizens' online security and privacy rights, as well as promoting environmental protection and green development.

Zeng Fanhua, minister to the Chinese Embassy in Germany, said at the seminar that China and Europe have different views on human rights due to variations in history, culture, social systems and economic development, which is normal. The key is how the two sides address these differences.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and chairperson of the German think tank Schiller Institute, praised China's vision of a shared future for humanity, as well as initiatives like the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, which transcend narrow geopolitical interests to address modern human rights issues.

Jure Zovko, president of the International Academy for the Philosophy of the Sciences, underscored the importance of dialogue between civilizations, urging mutual learning to protect human beings and their living conditions, while mitigating the risks associated with globalization.

Jiang Jianxiang, director of the Central South University Human Rights Center, said that the diversity of emerging rights concepts and their protection reflects the cultural diversity of the international community. He highlighted the potential for new insights through deeper cooperation and exchanges between Chinese and European human rights institutions and scholars.

First held in 2015, the seminar, now in its eighth edition, is an institutionalized platform for in-depth exchanges and cooperation on human rights between China and Europe.