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Development of human rights in China

By Li Junru (China Daily) Updated: 2011-09-23 07:55

Mutually beneficial relations

Before Hong Kong returned to the motherland in 1997, US-based Newsweek declared that "Hong Kong is dead". However, the more than 10 years' practice of "one country, two systems" after 1997 proved that the Chinese government totally abides by its international commitments and related laws.

In the 14 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland, no Hong Kong citizen has been detained or punished because of different political views or criticizing the government: no newspaper, magazine, radio station or website was blocked because of criticizing the Chinese government or the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In fact, several thousand assemblies and demonstrations have received "no objection letters" from police.

Actually, universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, rule by law and market economy are civilization's fruits for all human beings, not the "patent" of the Western countries.

In 1992 when Deng Xiaoping visited South China, he said the leftist opinion of "reform and opening-up should distinguish capitalism from socialism", and put forward criteria in three aspects, launching the historical transformation from planned economy to market economy and putting China's economy in the fast lane.

Based on the concept of "existence determines consciousness", transformation of economic basis leads to progress of values. This substantively is to enjoy the fruits of universal values so as to provide more solid and more abundant material and spiritual bases to improve China's human rights (including the right to live and right to sufficient food and clothing).

The soaring economic development and transformation of concepts of China can bring endless business opportunities for Hong Kong. Hong Kong can transfer its labor-intensive industry north to the mainland and energetically develop its service industry so as to encourage democracy.

The central government has decided that Hong Kong can generally elect its chief and Legislative Council in 2017 and 2020 respectively, consolidating the basis of social and human rights progress in Hong Kong.

In human rights realm, practice show that "a good motherland can improve Hong Kong; and a good Hong Kong can make the motherland better."

Lew Monhung is a member of the National Committee of CPPCC and the Commission on Strategic Development, HKSAR.