China Tibet Tourism-Introduction-History-13

Unprecedented progress made in 13 years

China's human rights record has made tremendous progress in the past 13 years, reported an article in the magazine "Human Rights" launched by the China Society for Human Rights Studies. Entitled "Development of China's Human Rights Cause in the Past 13 Years," the article cited a great number of statistics and facts in support of those achievements in the cause of advancing human rights.
China has achieved sustainable, rapid development in its national economy and a notable improvement in ensuring Chinese people's rights to subsistence and development, said the article.
China's gross domestic product (GDP) has been growing at an annual average rate of 9.3 per cent since 1989. In 2002, its GDP broke the 10 trillion yuan (US$1.21 trillion) mark for the first time, making China the sixth greatest economic power in the world. The figure was six times that of 1989.
Thanks to the development momentum of its national economy and the constant improvement in its investment environment, China has become increasingly attractive to investors from around the world.
China had an inflow of US$51 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2002, replacing the United States as the leading FDI recipient among all the countries of the world, said the article.
Big increases have also been registered in the incomes of China's urban and rural residents, resulting in significantly increased consumption and improved quality of life, it stated.
From 1990 to 2001, the per capita net incomes for rural residents increased by 62 per cent, and the disposable incomes for urban residents more than doubled.
Back in 1989, consumption primarily referred to meeting the basic needs of the people, whose spending priorities were food, followed by clothing and housing.
Since then people's expenditure on self-improvement and enjoyment of life has grown year after year. Computers and private cars have found their way into the lives of everyday people in increasing numbers.
While, for its part, the State has attached great importance to helping underdeveloped regions in their endeavours to shake off poverty through development and by assisting citizens living below the poverty line to improve their living standard.
In 2001, a total of 29 million rural residents, or 3.2 per cent of the country's total rural population, were classified as poverty stricken, 73 million less than in 1989.
China has made active efforts to promote political civilization, and the civil and political rights of citizens have been guaranteed effectively, said the article.
In China, all powers belong to the people. The Chinese people exercise the State power through the National People's Congress (NPC) and local people's congresses at different levels.
During the 10-year period for the terms of the Eighth and Ninth NPC, delegations and individual deputies forwarded 8,108 motions and 26,384 proposals, complaints and recommendations.
The NPC and local people's congresses have constantly intensified their supervision over implementation of laws and government work.
In striving to improve the system of democracy and legality, China has accelerated the process of law-making over the past 13 years. In line with the principle of running the country according to law, the NPC and the NPC Standing Committee have formulated 125 new laws, which account for 62.5 per cent of the total currently in force.
Importance has always been attached to the protection of citizens' rights in the process of law-making. A series of laws has been promulgated to this end, including the Organic Law of the Urban Residents' Committees, the Organic Law of the Villagers' Committees, the Trade Union Law, the law on Assemblies, Processions and Demonstrations, and the Copyright Law.
Multi-political party co-operation and political consultation under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party is a basic political system in China. It entered the Constitution in 1993 to represent the will of the State.
Grass roots democracy in China has experienced an unprecedented development during the period. By 2002, four re-elections of villagers' committees had taken place in most Chinese provinces, with a voter turnout exceeding 80 per cent in general.
This kind of self-government features democratic election of village leaders, decision-making through a democratic process, democratic management of public affairs and democratic supervision of the work of village leaders and public budgets. It has filled the rural population with a soaring political enthusiasm and protected the democratic rights of farmers.
Also thriving is urban grass roots democracy. Self-government by communities in Chinese cities and urban towns has become especially popular since 1998.
Residents in a given urban community are able, not only to select their own leaders through direct election, but also comment on the work of civil servants and government departments in general.
In short, community autonomy has enriched urban grass roots democracy and made it diverse in form.
To sum up, Chinese citizens in both town and countryside are enjoying broad democratic rights.
China is a multi-faith country, with a total of 100 million religious adherents. It pursues the policy, or principle, that calls for respect for religious beliefs and the autonomy of believers to run their religious affairs.
The various religions are equal in status and their respective adherents are able to join hands to strive for mutual development, and little religious strife has occurred. Believers and non-believers subscribe to the philosophy of mutual respect, and by so doing have been able to live side by side in harmony.
The article also said China has been rigorous with law enforcement, and its judicial bodies have conducted their duties according to the principle of fairness, leading to breakthroughs in the judicial protection of human rights.
In the past 13 years, public security and judicial departments have, in accordance with the law, dealt severe blows to those perpetrating crimes, and a nationwide campaign has been launched to consolidate market order, and the people's procuratorates at different levels have improved their practices relating to criminal prosecution.
China has persisted in placing equal emphasis on cracking down on lawbreakers and safeguarding human rights, and has scored notable achievements in judicial reforms under the principle of "justice and fairness." Efforts have been made to ensure that administrative law enforcement is carried out as an institutional practice, by following procedures prescribed in relevant laws and in accordance with laws applicable to specific cases. Improvement and development has also taken place with its system of lawyers and legal assistance.
The article said in the past 13 years, the Chinese Government has regarded employment as vital to the people's livelihood and has consistently held that the issue of ensuring employment and social insurance is a task of strategic importance to be accomplished through national economic and social development. To this end, it has adopted a series of measures and achieved a remarkable series of successes.
Employment has increased rapidly. China's employment reform has progressed smoothly, coupled with the formation of a new kind of labour relations in the country.
Some 650 million people were employed in 1990 and by 2001, the figure had grown to 730 million, a net increase of 83 million.
The rate of registered urban unemployment was around 3 per cent for most of these years. In 2002, the government was able to limit the rate of registered urban unemployment to 4 per cent.
The State follows a proactive employment policy under which work has been done to appropriately readjust the employment structure. As a result, a market-orientated employment system is now, by and large, in place.
The state has intensified the reform of the social security system to make it conform to the requirements of the market economic system, strengthened the management of social security funds and encouraged supervision by society over their use. It has also introduced a wide range of measures to increase the source of social security funds, along with the establishment of a social security system featuring distinct Chinese characteristics.
To date, the minimum subsistence guarantee system for urban residents has been implemented in all cities and major towns in the country, which has benefited 19.85 million people.
The article went on to say China has witnessed a rapid development of educational and cultural understanding and Chinese citizens have made obvious improvements in raising their educational and cultural levels.
In 2001, China had 1.35 million schools of different levels, with a combined enrolment of 320 million pupils and students. To put it another way, 26.6 per cent of Chinese were studying during that year, up from 22.2 per cent in 1990.
In 2001, the length of schooling averaged 7.7 years for Chinese citizens aged six and older, which was 2.4 years longer than in 1990.
For every 100,000 Chinese citizens, 4,087 had by 2001 received junior college education or education at even higher levels, nearly three times the figure for 1990.
The state has increased its input for education by large margins. The 2001 expenditure on education came to 463.766 billion yuan (US$55.88 billion), six times the 1990 figure.
The past 13 years have also witnessed enormous progress by China in developing the mass media and cultural undertakings. Cultural products have increased in quantity and kept improving in quality.
Conditions at major cultural venues have improved greatly over the past 13 years. While literature, artistic and theatrical creations and performances have thrived, and China's physical culture and sports have been full of vigour. To sum up, China's people, both urban and rural, have been able to enjoy an increasingly rich cultural life.
The article said China has made particularly spectacular improvements in the protection of women and children's rights. China has established a complete legal system for the protection of women's rights and the promotion of women's development, which takes the Constitution as its basis and the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women as its core.
Progress has been made in work to ensure women's participation in discussion and management of State affairs. Of the delegates to the 16th CPC National Congress, 382 were women, accounting for 18 per cent.
In addition, women represent a not insignificant presence in leading bodies of the Party and government in all the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of the Chinese mainland.
At the end of 2001, women officials in the Party and government numbered 14.88 million, accounting for 36.7 per cent of the national total. This figure is up 4.06 million on 1990, representing a proportional increase of 5.8 percentage points.
The State attaches great importance to protecting women's equal rights in employment and access to resources. Women's rights and interests in work are effectively protected.
The average length of schooling for Chinese women has increased at a faster rate than for men, and the illiteracy rate for women has dropped faster than for men.
Chinese women's health, in general, has seen a continuous improvement.
The article said China has entered a new period of honouring the rights and interests of the disabled, and has founded a social environment in which the disabled enjoy understanding, respect, attention and help.
In the past 13 years, China has introduced a host of major measures so that an improvement has been made in the system for protecting the legitimate rights of the disabled.
Significant results have been achieved in rehabilitation of the disabled, while special education has developed rapidly.
Before 1990, less than 10 per cent of physically or mentally handicapped children were able to go to school; by 2000, the figure had shot up to 77.2 per cent.
The State has take positive steps in helping the disabled obtain employment as part of the effort to protect their right to work.
Assistance for the disabled is included in all government plans for poverty alleviation. Disabled citizens, in fact, are taken as constituting a priority group under such plans.
With assistance from the government and society, an aggregate total of 11.11 million disabled rural residents had, by the end of 2001, shaken off poverty. Disabled people in cities who live below the poverty line are entitled to a subsistence allowance provided by the State.
Some 2.01 million disabled people in cities and urban towns were in receipt of a subsistence allowance, while 530,000 others were able to benefit from the social insurance programmes.
The article went on to note that the Chinese Government has always attached great importance to protecting the rights of the country's ethnic minority groups, and they enjoy preferential policies as compared to the majority Han people.
Ethnic minority groups and the ethnic majority Han group share equal rights in participating in the management of State affairs.
The State fully respects and protects the freedom of ethnic minority groups to hold religious beliefs, and protects all legitimate religious activities undertaken by their people.
Protection of the rights of ethnic minority groups has become an even more enshrined principle under an even more complete legal system which has been developed in the past 13 years.
What merits special mention is the revision in February 2001 to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional Ethnic Autonomy.
The revised law, upgrading the system of regional ethnic autonomy as part of the basic political system of China, has provisions on increasing capital input to accelerate the development of regional autonomy by people of ethnic minority groups.
The State policy calls for aid and assistance in areas such as capital, technology and professional talent in autonomous regions to promote their development and improve the living standards of their people.
Education in the five autonomous regions has also developed rapidly. In 1990 the State set up a fund to subsidize the development of education in these regions.
In 2001, a total of 560,000 ethnic minority students were studying at universities and colleges, 189 per cent more than in 1991. All the 55 ethnic minority groups, including those with a tiny population, now have their own young people studying at universities and colleges, and some of them even have people taking higher degrees, including doctorates.
Ethnic minority groups have been able to carry forward their cultural traditions. Since 1990, special funds have been allocated from both central and local government budgets for construction of libraries, cultural centres, ethnic art centres, museums, theatres and cinemas. Radio and TV programmes are aired, films dubbed, books, newspapers and magazines published in numerous ethnic minority languages, in addition to Internet websites in the Tibetan and Mongolian languages.
Central government has earmarked huge sums for restoration and repairs of sites of ethnic minority cultural heritage. Included are the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the Ta'er (Kumbum) Monastery in Qinghai Province, which is the holiest shrine of the Yellow Sect of the Tibetan School of Buddhism. The three ethnic epics, the King of Gesar, Tsangg'er and Manas have been translated into Chinese and many foreign languages.
The State has been at pains to organize the collection, compilation, translation and research of these and other intangible cultural heritages.
In the most recent years, traditional ethnic cultures have developed even more greatly in step with the implementation of the State strategy for developing the western regions and the development of tourism there.
The article said that theoretical research on human rights undertaken in China over the past 13 years has experienced the fastest development in Chinese history and been the most fruitful.
Through work over the past decade, Chinese researchers have built up a theoretical system on human rights, which is complete in nature and has distinct Chinese characteristics, said the article.
These years have also witnessed the most significant results through dialogue and exchange between China and foreign countries on human rights.
China has attended and organized numerous international human rights symposiums and meetings.
For better understanding and greater co-operation, Chinese leaders have, on numerous occasions, discussed human rights issues with leaders and other VIPs from overseas.
Since 1999, dialogue on human rights, either bilateral or multilateral, have been conducted, either on a government or non-governmental basis by China with countries including Britain, France, Australia, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Brazil, Japan and the United States, the European Union, and some international organizations.
Positive results were achieved through such dialogues. China initiated the establishment of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, and has contributed to the strengthening of co-operation between the member countries in fighting terrorism and protecting human rights.