MA XUEJING/CHINA DAILY

China is promoting the well-rounded personal development of its people and the all-around advancement of human rights. These goals were part of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), as well as the plan's outline approved by national lawmakers.

Together, the two documents provide guidance for the country to put into practice the idea that "living a happy life is the primary human right".

"Putting the people first" is the fundamental principle guiding China's pursuit of well-rounded personal development of the people and advancement of human rights in all fields in the new era.

Chinese modernization is ultimately measured by the growth and development of the people. Its purpose is to stimulate the people's initiative and creativity by enhancing their capabilities and competence.

Promoting well-rounded personal development essentially means following a people-centered approach and upholding the commitment to respect, empower and support the people and facilitate their progress while advancing human rights.

Human rights are interdependent and must be advanced comprehensively through a systematic approach.

China's pursuit of all-around advancement of human rights is reflected in its efforts to build a human rights protection system covering all fields, improve the protection of all rights, and channel more public resources into core areas of personal development.

Both the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan and the plan's outline place emphasis on investment in human capital that is key to promoting both well-rounded personal development and all-around advancement of human rights, as people themselves are the fundamental goal of modernization.

On the one hand, more public resources are being directed to sectors related to livelihoods, such as education, employment, healthcare and social security.

On the other hand, the country is aligning investment priorities to ensure that resources are allocated to safeguard and promote people's rights.

The focus is on meeting people's basic subsistence needs, boosting the quality of life, and ensuring people live a life of security, stability and dignity.

By improving the basic public service system and the social security system, the aim is to establish a network to protect subsistence rights that covers all people and ensures their well-being throughout their lives.

Unlocking people's potential is another major goal. Investment in human capital will help enhance people's ability to grow, participate and create. The documents emphasize removing barriers to personal development and call for improving the lifelong learning system, optimizing human resource development, and refining the country's employment support mechanisms so that different groups of people enjoy greater parity of opportunities.

The recommendations and the outline lay a solid institutional foundation for the advancement of human rights. They call for continued improvement in the institutions, standards and procedures for whole-process people's democracy as well as coordinated efforts to promote sound legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial administration of justice and observance of the law by all.

The documents also aim to facilitate upward mobility of people. They attach importance to creating an environment of fair competition, making rules and policies more fair to ensure equal opportunities, and improving the institutions for coordinated development among different regions and between urban and rural areas.

As China's human rights cause starts a new chapter, the country needs to develop human rights theories based on its own practice and accelerate the building of its own human rights knowledge system.

China's human rights cause has given rise to new concepts such as "living a happy life is the primary human right" and "the rights to subsistence and development are the primary and basic human rights".

There is an imbalance between human rights knowledge provided by the Global North and that provided by the Global South.

Continued efforts are therefore needed to draw inspiration from Chinese modernization, build China's human rights theoretical framework and help address that imbalance.

China also has to build a more vivid narrative, allowing the world to know better about its human rights achievements.

Chinese modernization provides both the material and a solid foundation for the country to tell its human rights story. Since it entered the new era, China has made remarkable achievements in human rights.

Human rights have been promoted through development, protected through reform and improved through governance. These macro-level achievements should be translated into multi-dimensional and relatable stories.

By sharing with the world its human rights stories and insights, China can help make global human rights governance more just, equitable and inclusive.

At present, global human rights development still faces many challenges, including hegemonism, regional conflicts and extreme poverty. China has adhered to inclusive development, pursued the common human aspiration of "human rights for all" and created favorable conditions for developing countries to share in development gains.

Going forward, the country needs to continue strengthening international human rights and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

The author is the executive vice-president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.