More than 30 Chinese and German experts and scholars are expected to focus on discussions on such topics as the "influence of the legal system on the development of culture and human rights," "human rights development and the promotion of democracy in rural China" and "enforcement of international conventions on human rights."

Addressing the opening ceremony, Huang Hua, honorary president of the China Foundation for Human Rights Development (CFHRD), said that since China is a developing country, the subsistence and development rights are the core of the human rights cause in China.

He reiterated that the principle of mutual-respect and equality should be abided by in conducting international exchanges in the field of human rights.

German Justice Minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin said that China not only has made marked economic achievements in recent years, but also has written "administering the country in accordance with law" into the constitution.

Germany supports the dialogue and exchange with China on the basis of mutual trust in the field of human rights, he said.

The seminar, jointly initiated by the CFHRD and the Friedrich Ebert Fund of Germany in 1999,is sponsored by the CFHRD, the Chinese Association for International Understanding, and the Friedrich Ebert Fund.

(People's Daily 07/24/2001)