Wang Yi Met with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet

On May 23, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in Guangzhou.

Welcoming Ms. Bachelet on her first visit to China as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Wang Yi said that it has been 17 years since China last received a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the visit is of landmark importance for both sides. He expressed the hope that this trip would help enhance understanding and cooperation, and clarify misinformation.

Wang briefed the High Commissioner on China's history of development and the governing philosophy of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in connection with China's 5000-year civilization. 

Wang stressed that the CPC stays committed to taking a people-centered approach and has made it its abiding goal to create a better life for the people. By combining the advanced Marxist theory with China's practice, the CPC has led the Chinese people in blazing a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics that is consistent with the trend of the times and suits China's national conditions, making historic achievements in reform and opening up, and winning extensive support of the people. Wang underscored that China has always given top priority to ensuring the right to subsistence, put enhancing the right to development high on its agenda, and made the protection of citizens' legitimate rights and interests its basic task. China has also made safeguarding the ethnic minorities' rights an important part of its work, and protecting people's safety its long-term goal. While vigorously promoting the development of its own human rights cause, China has been a champion of the universal values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, and has been promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, making its contributions to solving the major issues facing human society and promoting the development of human rights in the world.

Wang noted that to advance the international cause of human rights, we must first, respect each other and refrain from politicizing human rights; second, uphold fairness and justice and reject double standards; third, seek truth from facts and take into account national conditions and development stage of a country; fourth, stay open and inclusive and oppose bloc confrontation. Major countries, in particular, should take the lead in practicing multilateralism, upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respecting the international law, and defending international fairness and justice. Multilateral human rights institutions should serve as a major venue for cooperation and dialogue rather than a new battlefield for division and confrontation. China stands ready to carry out constructive cooperation with the OHCHR on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment.

Bachelet congratulated China on its important achievements in economic and social development and human rights protection, and spoke positively of China's contributions in supporting multilateralism, development financing, sustainable development, poverty reduction, climate change, ecological conservation and other areas concerning the development of human rights. Noting the great importance the OHCHR attaches to China's role, Bachelet expressed the hope to take this visit as an opportunity to enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two sides to jointly deal with global challenges and advance the international human rights cause. 

The two sides also exchanged views on the international and regional humanitarian situation of mutual concern.