West not the guardian of human rights

Human rights should not be politicized

In contravention of the universally recognized principle of no politicizing of human rights, the United States and several other Western countries recently made a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council criticizing the human rights situation in China and pointing to individual judicial cases as infringements of human rights, in an attempt to unilaterally pressure China on this issue.

In the statement, they expressed concerns over the "deteriorating human rights record" in China and criticized its "suppression of human rights activists". The criticism is just the latest move by the US-led West to pressure China on its human rights, as 11 attempts have been made since the mid-1990s to pass a human rights motion against China at the UN Commission on Human Rights, the more politicized predecessor of the Human Rights Council.

Given that the protection of human rights is a common pursuit of the peoples of all countries, the international community has increasingly strengthened its communication and cooperation on this issue, especially since the start of the 21st century. The new pattern of international relations puts greater emphasis on constructive dialogue, communication and cooperation among countries on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

While emphasizing safety, development and human rights protection, the United Nations has also confirmed several principles for the work of the Human Rights Council－non-selective, non-confrontational and non-politicized－in an effort to provide a platform for countries to share their human rights experiences and have benign interactions on ways to better protect human rights.

However, the US, a self-proclaimed "human rights guardian", has never abandoned the essence of its human rights diplomacy, a means to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries, as indicated by the annual human rights report published by the US Department of State, which points accusing fingers at the human rights situation in a number of other countries.

And besides its unilateral actions, Washington has often taken advantage of the UN to make trouble for other countries using this issue.

While making enormous social achievements, China and other emerging countries have also taken big strides in their protection of human rights. All UN members should conduct dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights adhering to international laws and other rules. Countries should not criticize other countries' human rights conditions for their own purposes. Any behavior in violation of international law and UN principles will be against the trend of the human rights development cause.

Liu Huawen is assistant director of the Institute of International Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.