China to promote global human rights cause

BEIJING - China will make a greater contribution to the international human rights cause, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang here on Wednesday.

Qin made the remarks at a regular press briefing while commenting on the election of China on Tuesday to the UN Human Rights Council for a three-year term from 2014 to 2016.

China's election is an expression of the appreciation of the international community of China's achievements in the human rights cause and its active participation in global human rights exchanges and cooperation, Qin said.

"We are grateful to countries which supported China's bid for council membership," he said.

China will continue to play a constructive role in the UN human rights mechanism through dialogue and cooperation, by promotion of equal attention to all kinds of human rights, and will handle human rights issues in a just, objective and non-selective way, he said.

China was one of 14 new members elected to the 47-member council at the 68th session of the UN General Assembly with 176 votes from the 192 UN member states present in one round of a secret ballot on Tuesday morning.

The Human Rights Council, based in Geneva,  was set up by the UNGA on March 15, 2006 to replace and build upon the achievements of 60 years of the Commission on Human Rights.

China was a founding member of the Council in 2006 and reelected for another three-year term in 2009.