On the Four Dimensions of Contemporary Chinese Perspective on Human Rights from a Spatiotemporal Viewpoint
LIU Zhiqiang* & HE Chen**
Abstract: The Chinese perspective is an open and evolving theoretical system. From a spatiotemporal viewpoint, it can be theoretically distilled into such four dimensions as the world dimension, the historical dimension, the practical dimension, and the theoretical dimension, which collectively form a “unified framework of four” of logical construction. The “world” dimension represents the synchronic extension of human rights practices, outwardly touching on the shared values of all humanity guided by relational rationality and the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity. The “historical” dimension reflects the diachronic extension of China’s path of human rights development, encompassing the cultural subjectivity of Chinese civilization and the complex context of modern human rights endeavors. The “practical” dimension serves as the “meta-perspective” of contemporary Chinese perspective on human rights, where the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the people-centered approach constitute the fundamental stance for developing the perspectives of human rights and human rights governance. The “theoretical” dimension focuses on the deconstruction and reconstruction of indigenous human rights notions, emphasizing a set of values that are confident, inclusive, equitable, shared, and forward-looking. The “world” dimension of “taking the world as a method”, provides a reference perspective for “taking China as a method” narrative centered on the “historical-practical-theoretical” framework, while the latter injects a human rights methodology grounded in Chinese wisdom into the former. By integrating these four dimensions, a more profound and comprehensive understanding of the value core and normative paradigm of contemporary Chinese perspective on human rights can be achieved.
Keywords: contemporary Chinese perspective on human rights · spatiotemporal construction · human rights civilization · human rights practice · human rights endeavors