China's path toward more accessible human rights protection

Editor's note: Yuan Jing is a research fellow at the Institute for Common Prosperity and Development and the Center of Social Welfare and Governance, Zhejiang University. This article reflects the author's perspective and not necessarily those of CGTN. It has been translated from Chinese and edited for brevity and clarity.

Human rights are not empty slogans. They are reflected in every job secured, every income earned, and every social protection benefit received. Since 2009, China has formulated and implemented four action plans on human rights, translating human rights principles into concrete, measurable, and assessable targets. The report on the implementation of the fourth National Human Rights Action Plan (2021-2025), released on June 5, shows that all the 181 objectives and tasks have been completed, with 20 of the 44 binding indicators fulfilled ahead of schedule or achieving better results. China has forged a human rights development path rooted in a growing sense of fulfillment that people can truly see and feel.

Development as the foundation of human rights

China regards the right to subsistence and the right to development as the primary basic human rights, while placing employment promotion and income growth high on the national development agenda. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the surveyed urban unemployment rate was kept at around 5.2% and real per capita disposable income grew by an average annual rate of 5.4%, as per the National Bureau of Statistics and the recent report on China's human rights, demonstrating the country's commitment to ensuring that income growth keeps pace with economic growth.

The development blueprint laid out for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) has elevated the goal of income growth from being "basically in step" during the 14th Five-Year Plan period to being "fully synchronized." In early 2026, the authorities announced plans to implement a dedicated income growth program for urban and rural residents. This seemingly subtle change reflects a profound commitment: Economic growth must be translated into tangible income gains for the people. Decent work and sustained income growth constitute the most solid foundation of China's human rights protection.

Social protection as a means of sharing development outcomes

Throughout the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China extended social security programs to a broader population, steadily improving the benefits of the people. As of 2025, participation rates in basic medical insurance have exceeded 95% or approximately 1.33 billion people. The childcare subsidy program benefited more than 33 million families in the 2025 fiscal year. Regarding improving the welfare of the elderly, long-term care insurance now covers over 300 million participants, while pilot occupational injury protection programs have been expanded to all provincial-level regions, and the pension insurance supports a cumulative 125 million elderly. A fairer and more sustainable social security network is transforming the aspirations of ensuring people's access to elderly care, medical services, and childcare from policy goals into everyday realities.

Common prosperity as the value orientation

What distinguishes China's human rights path is that it does not pursue development for only a selected few. Rather, it is committed to the all-round development of all people. The solemn pledge that "no one should be left behind on the road to prosperity" vividly reflects this commitment. From supporting the development of a common prosperity demonstration zone in Zhejiang Province to the 15th Five-Year Plan's call for making solid progress toward the all-round development of people and common prosperity for all, common prosperity is increasingly moving from top-level design to real-life practice. In 2025, the concept of "investing in people" was incorporated into the government work report for the first time. Public resources are directed toward education, healthcare, social security, and other areas related to people's well-being. This sends a clear message: People are not merely instruments for achieving development; instead, realizing human value and improving human well-being are the fundamental purpose of development.

Promoting human rights through development offers a milestone for global human rights governance and provides an example for developing countries seeking human rights paths suited to their own national realities. This approach equally demonstrates that integrating human rights objectives into national development strategies is both practical and achievable, and that a nation can play a crucial role in advancing economic and social rights. There is more than one path to human rights protection. Every country has the right to choose a development path that fits its national realities and responds to the needs of its people. Understanding and respecting the diversity of practice is essential to building a fairer, more inclusive system of global human rights governance.