WASHINGTON, June 24 (Xinhua) — Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng recently addressed a regional conference convening nations of the Americas, where he introduced Chinese modernization and China’s historic achievements in human rights and democracy.
Xie, also the Permanent Observer of China to the Organization of American States (OAS), led a Chinese government delegation to attend the 53rd Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly at the organizer’s invitation. The event ran from Wednesday to Friday in Washington, bringing together foreign ministers and vice foreign ministers from more than 30 regional countries.
China is committed to a human rights development path that meets the trend of the times and suits its national conditions, and has been constantly developing whole-process people’s democracy, Xie said this during a dialogue between OAS member states and permanent observers.
Such democracy exists in both process and outcome, procedure and substance. A combination of direct and indirect democracy, it is people’s democracy in nature, and also represents the will of the state. It is therefore the most extensive, genuine and effective socialist democracy. Democracy is not a slogan; it should be used to resolve real problems, he noted. “Only the wearer knows if the shoes fit or not.”
There is no one-size-fits-all development model, Xie said, adding that China advocates safeguarding human rights through security, promoting them through development, and advancing them through cooperation. “We believe that true democracy and human rights are about respecting other countries’ choice of democracy models and human rights practices.”
China welcomes exchanges and mutual learning, and stands ready to work with all to advance the global cause of human rights protection, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Xie spoke highly about the relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, saying that under the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, the China-LAC relationship has entered a new era featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people. The cooperation between the two sides has delivered tangible benefits to regional people. So far, 22 regional countries have joined the Belt and Road Initiative.
China is ready to work with LAC countries to seek greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and their national development strategies, and jointly forge a China-LAC community with a shared future, Xie added.