China, Latin American countries speed up human rights cooperation

China and Latin America are speeding up their human rights cooperation with the first China-Latin America and Caribbean States Roundtable on Human Rights to be held in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

This event is co-hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS), Renmin University of China, and Universidade Federal Fluminense. According to the official website of the CSHRS, over 100 participants will attend the event, and the meeting aims to foster dialogue, promote mutual learning among Chinese, Latin American and Caribbean civilizations, and advance the diversified development of human rights in the context of modernization.

This roundtable is also one of the events commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil and the 10th anniversary of the China-CELAC Forum. CELAC stands for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

China is the largest developing country in the world, while Latin America and the Caribbean have one of the highest concentrations of developing countries. As they both belong to the Global South, China and LAC states have fostered much consensus on human rights affairs. For example, they agree that each country should pursue a human rights development path tailored to its national conditions. They also acknowledge that without ensuring the right to survival and development, the realization of other human rights becomes challenging. Furthermore, they recognize the need for Global South countries to collaborate closely and play a significant role in global human rights governance.

In 2019, China's State Council released a white paper titled "Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China." The white paper stated that China adheres to a people-centered human rights philosophy, prioritizing the rights to survival and development as fundamental human rights and aiming to enhance the rights of all individuals while striving to promote people's all-round development.

Guided by this human rights philosophy, China has long been dedicated to developing its economy, lifting the country out of poverty and continuously improving the living standards of its people. Since China adopted the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, China's GDP has grown from 367.9 billion yuan (about $51.6 billion) in 1978 to an astonishing 126,058.2 billion yuan in 2023. The nation's GDP surpassed Japan's in 2010, becoming the world's second-largest economy.

One of the most profound impacts of economic growth has been the dramatic reduction in poverty. According to the World Bank's international poverty line of $1.90 per person per day, China has lifted nearly 800 million people out of poverty since the beginning of reform and opening-up, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global reduction in poverty during the same period.

China is now trying to further boost its economic growth and raise the income of low-middle-income families through a new round of urbanization, rural revitalization, sci-tech innovation and more. In 2023, China's GDP was approximately $17.8 trillion, and the per capita GDP exceeded $12,614. Experts say with the increasing scientific, technological and industrial capacities, China now has more favorable conditions for the ultimate ideal of people's all-round development.

In recent years, LAC countries have also introduced a series of proactive measures to improve people's livelihoods, especially the living standards of low-income groups, and promote social equity. For example, Chile has been implementing long-term programs to reduce poverty and has achieved remarkable results. In 2023, Chile's GDP per capita reached $17,093, and Chile's poverty rate, measured by the World Bank's standard of 3.65 international dollars per person per day, fell to just 1 percent in 2022, indicating that extreme poverty has nearly disappeared.

Similarly, according to World Bank reports, Mexico has also seen a significant decline in poverty since 2020. The official multidimensional poverty rate fell from 43.9 percent in 2020 to 36.3 percent in 2022, lifting 8.8 million Mexicans out of poverty. Furthermore, in 2023, the Brazilian government established the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples for the first time. Brazil also has ministries dedicated to human rights and citizenship, women, and racial equality to protect the rights of various groups.

In recent years, as China and LAC states have bolstered their economic, political and cultural influence, the Global South, represented by the two regions, has emerged as a growing force in global human rights development and governance. 

Experts suggest that as economic ties between China and LAC states deepen, collaboration in international human rights governance is becoming increasingly vital, particularly in addressing challenges such as poverty, conflict, terrorism, environmental degradation and climate change. Moreover, enhancing human rights cooperation between China and LAC states will strengthen the voice of Global South countries in shaping global human rights governance.

"The human rights dialogue between China and LAC states is timely," said Ma Chaoqi, vice president of Northwest University of Political Science and Law and a researcher at the Human Rights Research Center of the university. He explained that despite being geographically distant, China and LAC states share similarities in their paths for realizing human rights. 

"The dialogue not only reflects the contemporary manifestation of the Chinese concept of 'harmony in diversity' but also highlights the significance of respecting the diversity of human civilizations and promoting mutual learning between different civilizations," said Ma.