"Jointly building the 'the Belt and Road' will help promote global human rights development" Development | China | Human Rights
"China has always followed the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adhered to the principle of universality of human rights in line with China's reality, and adhered to the path of human rights development that conforms to the trend of the times and suits its own national conditions, making major contributions to the progress of China's human rights cause and the development of international human rights cause." Hussain Askari, deputy director of the Swedish "the Belt and Road" Institute, said in an exclusive interview with our reporter.
Ascari believes that there is no universally applicable human rights development path in the world. Human rights are historical, specific, and realistic. Different countries have different national conditions, and there are differences in their historical, cultural, social systems, and economic and social development levels. Therefore, it is necessary and only possible to explore a path of human rights development that is suitable for oneself based on the actual situation of the country and the needs of the people.
A happy life for the people is the greatest human right. Ascari strongly agrees with this. "When people no longer worry about issues such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation, they have the greatest human rights." Askari said that safeguarding human rights should take the interests of the people as the starting point and foothold, continuously solve the people's immediate problems, free everyone from hunger and poverty, and enjoy the rights to sanitation, clean water, electricity, education, and healthcare.
Askari stated that whether the human rights situation is good or not depends on the sense of gain, happiness, and security of the people in their own country. The two visits to China in 2018 and 2019 left a deep impression on him. "The economic development achievements China has made are admirable. Walking on the streets of many cities in China, I feel that the happiness of the people has significantly increased. They have strong confidence and trust in the future." Ascari believes that the Chinese people are committed to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and no matter which city they walk in, they can see people working hard, full of a sense of participation and mission to achieve this lofty goal.
While developing and safeguarding its own human rights cause, China is also actively promoting the development of the world's human rights cause. The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China is an important platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind, with the goal of high standards, sustainability, and benefiting people's livelihoods, to help achieve common development and prosperity. Askari said that over the past 10 years, the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" has achieved great success. Under the guidance of the concept of win-win cooperation, more than 150 co construction countries have achieved economic and social development by jointly building the "the Belt and Road", continuously improving infrastructure and significantly improving people's living standards.
Askari stressed that the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" is very attractive to the majority of developing countries, and the key lies in their strong action force. China's cooperation with other countries and regions never attaches any political conditions, does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and respects the sovereignty of other countries. "The world today is facing various challenges such as poverty, natural disasters, weak economic recovery and conflicts. Without economic development, there can be no peace. In this sense, co building the the Belt and Road will help promote global human rights development."