The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) approved the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at its plenary session in Beijing Thursday.

The approval of the international convention is helpful for protecting the rights of the handicapped group in China and is in conformity with the country's realities and needs, according to the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee.

In November 2001, the United Nations set up a special committee to draft the convention, and on December 13, 2006, the 61st UN General Assembly adopted the convention. On March 30, 2007, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations signed the document on behalf of the Chinese government.

As of May 30, 129 nations and the European Union had signed the convention, while 27 nations had approved it.

The 50-clause convention is aimed at ensuring that handicapped people enjoy the same rights and basic freedom as all other citizens.

Signing countries are asked to protect the rights of their handicapped population in economic, social and cultural fields.

China, with a population of 1.3 billion, has over 80 million people with disabilities.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2008)