Editor's note: Anthony Moretti is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership of Robert Morris University. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

China is hosting its 11th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and 8th Special Olympics Games. The competitions run from October 22 to 29 and primarily in Shaanxi Province, and they include 43 specific sports and more than 1,700 events. 4,484 athletes are competing.

This year marks the first time these competitions are taking place in the same calendar year as China's National Games, which can be considered as a kind-of national Olympics.

This decision to align the domestic sports calendar so that National Games for Persons with Disabilities and Special Olympics take place in the same year should not be ignored; it is an important indication of the prestige that the Chinese people hold for all sporting events and all athletes.

Scheduling all domestic competitions in the same year also offers an important affirmation of the importance of human rights in China, a topic that the West too often argues is non-existent in the country. The Chinese government and the Chinese people are making it very clear that every athlete must be treated equally, honorably and respectfully.

This human rights message comes at an especially auspicious time, recognizing that the 2022 Winter Olympics, hosted by Beijing, begin in roughly 100 days.

China does espouse human rights in its domestic and international activities, but its definition is dismissed by the West. The Chinese people believe that human rights has a meaning above "you and I are equal." Of course we are; however, and as just an example, the West seems unwilling to acknowledge the critical problem of income inequality within its borders.

And as the West struggles with how to align "we are all equal" with "hey, some people are just meant to be and stay poor," China has eradicated absolute poverty, an amazing achievement considering the nation is home to more than 1.4 billion people and covers more than 9.6 million square kilometers.

While the naysayers question the data used to justify this claim of poverty eradication, Chinese society continues its steady ascent that dates to the reform and opening up era of the late 1970s.

Beyond poverty, there is a consistent argument in the Chinese definition of human rights for supporting society as a whole. This point, in effect, flips upside down the Western idea of the supremacy of an individual's rights.

Anyone who has paid attention to the pandemic over the past 21 months has clearly seen how China's support for society over the individual has contributed to the country having far fewer illnesses and deaths from coronavirus in comparison to Western nations.

While people in Western nations, most especially the United States, engage in a ridiculous and selfish argument about "my right" to not wear a mask or to accept a vaccine, the Chinese people respond quickly to government calls to be vaccinated or to isolate if they demonstrate symptoms consistent with coronavirus.

Societal health matters more than individual freedom in this Chinese context, and this concept is not a violation of human rights. In containing the vicious virus, the Chinese model is working and has set an example to the world.  

China endorses the idea that the nation's Four Cardinal Principles (birthed in its ancient dynasties) form the basis for civil, human and legal rights. In addition, about 20 years ago, China's Constitution was amended to clarify the state's support for human rights.

Ironically, this amendment became law at about the same time multiple Western nations, working hand in glove with the United States, began wars that cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars in the Middle East and South Asia.

The issue of trampling the human rights of the people of Iraq and Afghanistan was never considered in the zeal to export democracy to two nations that had no experience with it.

Human rights for some, not for all? That is an uncomfortable question.

The slogan for the 11th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and 8th Special Olympics Games is "Light up your dreams, set sail for love," which positively advances the idea of "equality, participation, sharing and integration" for people with disabilities. Over the next week, pay attention to how China uses these sporting events to demonstrate its commitment to human rights.

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