Human rights and sovereign equality are the two fundamental
principles that should be both respected in dealing with the world
affairs, Chinese President Jiang Zemin said Thursday at the
interactive round-table session of the United Nations Millennium
Summit.
After citing the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations
adopted 55 years ago, Jiang said: "The two fundamental principles
of respect for human rights and sovereign equality were
established."
Expounding on the relationship between human rights and
sovereignty, Jiang said: "it is necessary for the international
community to review these two principles."
"On the one hand, it is the common aspiration of all mankind to
ensure and enjoy fully the human rights. And it is the sacred duty
of all governments to promote and protect human rights. All
countries are obligated to promote and protect the human rights and
fundamental freedoms of their own people in accordance with the
relevant international instruments on human rights and their
national laws in the light of their own national conditions," the
Chinese president said.
"On the other hand, the principles of sovereign equality of all
countries, mutual respect for state sovereignty and
non-interference in each other's internal affairs remain the basic
norms governing contemporary international relations," Jiang
stressed.
All countries are equal, big or small, rich or poor, strong or
weak. It is the divine duty of each government and people to
safeguard state sovereignty and national security. "The people of a
country are entitled to independently choosing their own social
system and development model in the light of their national
conditions and to shaping their own way of life," Jiang said.
"The Chinese people know fully well that a country that is unable
to safeguard its sovereignty can not possibly protect human rights.
Therefore, we cherish dearly our national liberation and state
sovereignty which the Chinese people won through protracted and
sanguinary struggles. I am sure that this is true of all nations,"
the president added.
Sovereignty and human rights do not conflict with each other, but
rather complement each other and all the countries should admit and
respect the differences and diversity of the world, Jiang said.
Jiang also calls for a fair, equitable new internatioal economic
order so as to promote the common development of mankind in the
process of economic globalization.
"The UN should also dedicate itself to establishing a rational new
international financial and trade system and mitigating the risk
borne by the developing countries in the process of economic
globalization," Jiang said.
"Given the fast advancement of science and technology nowadays, the
U.N. should pay special attention to calling upon the international
community to assist developing countries in terms of human
resources development and science and technology so as to enable
them to keep abreast with the new wave of technological progress,"
he said.
Pointing out that the economic globalization is an objective trend
emerging with the development of social productive forces, Jiang
said the progress of modern technology and the birth of advanced
transportation vehicles and telecommunication means have created
conditions for the development of economic globalization.
"However, countries found themselves in very dissimilar positions
and situations in the process of economic globalization. While the
developed countries are reaping all the 'dividend' of
globalization, the vast number of developing countries are still
suffering from poverty and backwardness," the Chinese president
stressed.
"We need an 'all-win' economic globalization in which all
countries, North or South, big or small, are all beneficiaries; we
need an economic globalization in which all countries can
participate as equal members," he said.
"We need an economic globalization in which all countries can
coexist, only when there is mutual respect, mutual promotion and
diversity of economic growth mode, culture and value, can world
civilization thrive and prosper," Jiang said.
(People’s Daily)