China is consistently committed to conducting dialogue and
exchange on human rights so as to enhance understanding, narrow
differences, learn from one another and make common progress,
Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang said
Addressing the opening ceremony of the Fifth Human
Rights Seminar, jointly sponsored by China, Canada and Norway, in
Lijiang, southwest China's Yunnan
Province, from Dec. 9 to 10, Shen said the seminars have become
a channel through which countries with different social systems and
economic levels can exchange views on an equal footing.
Shen said China would make joint efforts with other
countries to strengthen dialogue and exchange based on equality and
mutual respect, exploring effective ways to promote and protect
human rights, and contribute to world human rights development.
The seminars promote mutual understanding, and
reach consensus in exchanging views on social obligations, women's
rights, judicial assistance and the protection of the human rights
of prisoners.
Their consensus this time was that: the government, employers
and employees should make more effort to enable companies to
shoulder social obligations in the era of globalization; to
guarantee women's political and economic rights, eradicate violence
against women and crack down on other crimes against them; all
countries should carry out exchange and cooperation in the field of
legal assistance that guarantees all citizens equality before the
law, and all countries should, through domestic laws, implement
prisoners' rights as stipulated in international documents on human
rights.
Regarding the seminar as open, candid, constructive
and fruitful, the attendees also gave briefings on their policies,
practices, achievements and challenges in the above fields, and
called on the international community to actively participate in
exchanges and cooperation to these ends.
Besides the three principal sponsors, 15 other
countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan, Australia and New
Zealand also attended the two-day seminar.
The First Human Rights Seminar was held in 1998 in
Vancouver, Canada.
(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2003)