People visit Barkhor Street in Lhasa, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, February 11, 2024. /Xinhua

Editor's note: Zhang Yongpan, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a research fellow and Director of the Xizang Research Office, Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Ye Ziwei, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Human rights must begin with survival and development

For a developing country of over 1.4 billion people, China has always prioritized the rights to survival and development as the bedrock of human rights. As Chinese President Xi Jinping correctly put it, "The ultimate human right is that people can lead a happy life." Without the right to survive, talk of civil liberties is meaningless. Without development, survival cannot be sustained.

In Xizang, the transformation has been nothing short of historic. The region has emerged from the darkness of a feudal theocracy, where 95 percent of the population were serfs and slaves. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), this archaic system was dismantled, and the people were finally given the tools to shape their own destiny.

A human rights upgrade across the board

The all-round protection of rights in Xizang vividly reflects the CPC's people-centered development philosophy. The central government has placed great importance on education in Xizang, supporting minority languages including Tibetan and promoting the inheritance of traditional cultures through bilingual education. Since 2012, Xizang has pioneered 15-year publicly-funded education system. Boarding school policies have effectively changed the situation before peaceful liberation when less than 2 percent of school-age children could attend school. These policies offer children in farming areas exposure to the wider world and opportunities to pursue higher education.

As of 2024, Xizang's retention rate for nine-year compulsory education reached 97.86 percent, and its gross enrollment rate for higher education was 57.81 percent. In healthcare, Xizang now boasts a five-tier healthcare system with remote medical services covering all townships. This has raised the average life expectancy to 72.5 years.

Regarding employment and social security, Xizang provides free urban-rural public employment services and offers inclusive vocational training. In 2024, urban areas created 51,000 new jobs. Transferred employment among farmers and herders grew from 450,000 in 2012 to 648,000 in 2024. The regional government has also launched various subsidies such as for internships, social insurance, and entrepreneurship incubation to broaden employment channels for graduates, maintaining a high employment rate for new graduates.

These comprehensive livelihood achievements show that human rights protection must align with national realities. The central government ensures that all ethnic groups in Xizang enjoy legal rights, dignity, and happiness in the embrace of the motherland – an achievement no Western discourse can deny.

Cultural and ecological rights: A Xizang model

Xizang's approach to cultural and ecological rights exemplifies the synergy between heritage preservation and environmental protection. Culturally, the region has developed a comprehensive protection system covering traditional culture and the use of the Tibetan language. Between 2012 and 2024, the central and regional governments invested 473 million yuan ($68.54 million) in intangible cultural heritage preservation and transmission projects.

Ecologically, the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is central to China's modernization, with environmental protection advancing in step with economic and social development. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xizang has prioritized ecological protection through laws, environmental projects, regular monitoring, urban-rural environment upgrades, and ecological compensation mechanisms.

Local legislation supports these efforts, providing a legal foundation for environmental rights. Under the principle of integrated protection of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, more than 600,000 square kilometers of land has been placed under ecological redlines, with 47 protected areas covering 412,200 square kilometers. This not only preserves cultural roots but also strengthens China's ecological security barrier.

Institutional foundations of democratic politics and rule of law

Xizang fully implements the system of regional ethnic autonomy and emphasizes the selection of ethnic minority officials. Currently, the region has 26 minority officials at the provincial level and 512 at the prefectural level, with over 57.17 percent of township-level party and government leaders from minority backgrounds. Ethnic minorities make up 89.2 percent of all local people's congressional deputies. Grassroots democracy is thriving, with voter turnout exceeds 90 percent. Village affairs are made public through bulletin boards, representative meetings, and digital platforms, creating a governance model of "public matters discussed and handled by the people."

The region advances the rule of law through local legislation, judicial reforms, and the lawful management of religious affairs. Laws have been developed around livelihood, ecology, and religion. Judicial reforms promote justice for the people by innovating service models and establishing multi-level dispute resolution mechanisms. Religious affairs are managed within the law, with improved social security for religious personnel and orderly religious activities. According to the "Regulations on the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism," as of 2024, 93 newly reincarnated Living Buddhas have been officially approved by the central government.

Toward a fairer global vision of rights

The human rights cause in Xizang is a vital component of China's broader human rights development. The Dalai group and anti-China Western forces have weaponized human rights issues to interfere in China's internal affairs. They fabricate claims like "forced vocational training," "cultural genocide," and "forced assimilation" in Xizang to smear China's international image and push separatist agendas. China firmly rejects such "human rights diplomacy" and double standards, believing there is no one-size-fits-all model for human rights.

Instead, China adheres to a people-centered vision of human rights, integrating universal principles with national realities. It sees the happiness of the people as the most basic human right and has explored a uniquely Chinese path to human rights development. The development achievements in Xizang since reform and opening-up directly refute Western allegations and discredit notions like "universal human rights" and "human rights above sovereignty."

By promoting development, rule of law, and equality in human rights practices, China helps foster a fairer, more inclusive global human rights consensus. These efforts not only address international concerns but also enhance China's ideological influence and highlight the institutional strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics in protecting the fundamental interests of the vast majority.