Despite China's eye-catching progress in human rights advances, a huge chasm still exists between China and the West in regard to their understanding of those rights.

On the one hand, the connotation of China's human rights has been confined as freedom of speech. Some "pro-democracy activists" in China even advocate that speaking freely is a No. 1 human right. On the other, some Western media outlets, such as VOA, depict China as a notorious country without any freedom of speech.

It is safe to say that freedom of speech is a relative concept, rather than an absolute one. The Western community has achieved a dynamic balance in the freedom of speech. That is to say, any radical argument would be counterbalanced by the opposite theory. Countries such as the US, Germany and Britain have all resorted to legislation or other media restrictions to counter freedom of speech.

For example, to maintain its mainstream outlook, the Deutsche Welle sacked several editors who had said some good words about China.

China values harmony rather than confrontations between different forces. China and other Asian societies are vulnerable when dealing with confrontation. The constant swaps of prime ministers in Japan and the massive street protests in Thailand are examples of this.

Besides, the population of China is four times that of the US and 300 times that of Norway. So it is much easier to break down a consensus in China than in the other nations. In China, there is a boundary for freedom of speech – that being not to disturb the country's normal operations, which is a necessity for China's economic and human rights development.

Chinese people have enjoyed more freedom of speech in recent years.

First, they have more choices in seeking jobs; second, the burgeoning development of the Internet changes the fundamental way people communicate; and third, society has become more tolerant thanks to the spread of democracy.

At the same time, it is necessary for the authorities to guide the spreading of words that might be harmful to the entire society. People who believe in democracy should not oppose such an effort by the authorities.

Meanwhile, there are a few Chinese people whose lives and spirits have merged into the Western style. The West hails these people's efforts to Westernize Chinese politics, with the illusion that they are pushing the nation forward.

Generally speaking, the West takes the lead in the debate on human rights and freedom of speech. But it is not a secret that the West is also abusing this advantage to enhance its leadership. It is too reluctant to conduct serious talks with China in this regard.