Many countries that participated in a UN Human Rights Council session on Monday praised China's tremendous achievements in the promotion and protection of human rights.

The 47-state Council on Monday examined China's human rights record according to its new Universal Periodical Review system.

During the three-hour hearing, which was open to all UN member states, the Chinese delegation presented a report outlining the country's progress and challenges in the field of human rights.

The Chinese delegation also answered questions and responded to recommendations from other states in an interactive dialogue.

Since the founding of New China in 1949, "a fundamental social and political system for the promotion and protection of human rights has been established," said Li Baodong, head of the Chinese delegation.

"With the launch of reform and opening up and its historic modernization drive in 1978, China has opened a new chapter in the promotion and protection of human rights," he added.

Many delegations here said they were deeply impressed by China's achievements in the past 60 years, and particularly since the start of its reform and opening up in 1978.

"Your country and your people have made tremendous progress, a lot of achievements, in particular in social and economic life," Valery Loshchinin, Russia's ambassador to the UN Office in Geneva, told Xinhua.

China has really made "a big leap forward" in the human rights field, notably in poverty reduction, which was very difficult to do in such a big country with such a big population, said Loshchinin.

Nepal's head of delegation, Dinesh Bhattarai, also said he was "very much impressed" by China's achievements.

"We consider poverty and deprivation the biggest threat to human rights and human dignity," Bhattarai noted.

"China's extraordinary economic growth and opening policy has lifted millions and millions of people out of poverty, and has enhanced human dignity," he said.

He added that Nepal appreciated China's role and contribution in the Human Rights Council, "in making it transparent, non- political and non-selective."

Sri Lankan Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka said China's achievements had been made possible by two revolutions: first the social and political revolution which culminated in 1949; secondly the revolution of modernization initiated in 1978.

"By this twin revolutions, China has been able to fulfill both political and social rights of its people," he said.

The Universal Periodic Review mechanism was established by the Human Rights Council in June 2007, one year after its first meeting.

It aims to ensure that all 192 member states of the United Nations will have their records examined in order to improve human rights conditions worldwide.

(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2009)