Human Rights Improving

By YIN PUMIN

Human Rights Improving

By YIN PUMIN

China issues a white paper on its human rights,highlighting freedom of speech on the Internet

The Chinese Government released a white paper on its human rights in 2009 on September 26, highlighting the role of Internet freedom and the country’s efforts in safeguarding citizens’legitimate civil and political rights.

“The overall cause of human rights has been promoted in an all-round way,” says the white paper, published by the Information Of fi ce of the State Council, China’s cabinet,under the title Progress in China’s Human Rights in 2009.

The white paper is the ninth report on human rights since the country began releasing such documents in 1991.

Chinese citizens’ right to freedom of speech on the Internet was protected by law in 2009 and netizens can voice their opinions “in a wide variety of ways on the Internet,” it says.

In China, there are more than 1 million bulletin board services (BBS) and some 220 million bloggers. According to a sample survey, each day people post more than 3 million messages via BBS, news commentary sites and blogs. And more than 66 percent of Chinese netizens frequently place postings to discuss various topics, and to fully express their opinions and represent their interests.

“The Internet has become a new channel for the Chinese Government to get to know public opinion and amass the people’s wisdom, and consequently exercise governance for the people and improve its work in this respect,” says the white paper.

The Chinese Government makes it convenient for the people to petition, report problems and offer suggestions through channels including hotlines and online agencies, it adds.

Governments at all levels are required to investigate and resolve all problems reported to the government by the public via the Internet and to inform the public of the actions they have taken and the results of their actions, it notes.

In 2009, the Chinese Government promulgated and implemented its fi rst national action plan with human rights as the theme.

The National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-10), which applies the Constitutional principle of respecting and protecting human rights for politics, economy, culture and social construction, has been“effectively implemented,” according to the white paper.

The Chinese public’s standard of living“has been further improved on the basis of economic and social development” after the country put forward a 4-trillion-yuan ($585.65 billion) stimulus package in the wake of the international fi nancial crisis, it says.

In 2009, the per-capita net income of rural residents was 5,153 yuan ($754.47), and the per-capita disposable income of urban residents was 17,175 yuan ($2,514.64), an increase of 8.5 percent and 9.8 percent respectively over the previous year.

However, nearly 36 million rural residents, or 3.8 percent of China’s rural population, still lived under the poverty line at the end of 2009, according to the white paper.

Nationally, there were 40.07 million Chinese living under state poverty level,which was raised to 1,196 yuan ($175.11) per person per year in 2009, it says.

In 2009, the state’s input of money for poverty reduction programs in rural areas amounted to 19.73 billion yuan ($2.89 billion),an increase of 3 billion yuan ($439.24 million)over the previous year, the white paper says.

The total health care expenditure in 2009 reached 1.72 trillion yuan ($251.83 billion),making up 4.96 percent of China’s GDP, and the per-capita health care expenditure was 1,192 yuan ($174.52), it says.

The number of people participating in basic medical insurance last year topped 1.2 billion, a national coverage rate of over 90 percent, it says.

From January 2009 to March 2010 the National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee examined 25 laws and draft decisions concerning laws, and adopted 18 of them. They amended eight laws, including the Electoral Law, and further guaranteed human rights through legislation.

Meanwhile, judicial transparency in China has also increased, it says.

In 2009, the Supreme People’s Court issued the Six Provisions on Judicial Openness,which expands the scope and depth of judicial openness.

The Six Provisions on Judicial Openness,which applies the principle of openness to every procedure of trial and law enforcement,improves the regulations on the release of judgment documents on the Internet and live broadcasts of court hearings, requires openness of the judicial process and results, and adopts a regular press-release system, according to the white paper.

Chinese public security authority also introduced regulation, clearly de fi ning measures to punish police officers involved in torture or abuse of suspects, people in custody and other people they are dealing with at work, the paper says.

The Regulations on the Disciplines for People’s Police Forces of Public Security Organs, which went into effect on June 1, 2010, is China’s fi rst systematic department-wide ordinance regarding punishment of police officers in violation of working disciplines.

China loosened the driving restrictions for people with lower limb, fi nger and hearing disabilities by issuing the Decision on the Amendment to the Regulations on the Application for and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses in December 2009, says the white paper.

By 2009 there were 3,474 homes for people with disabilities in China, where 110,000 disabled people were taken care of.

In 2009 China appropriated 42 billion yuan ($6.15 billion) for job creation, a rise of 66.7 percent over the previous year.

By the end of last year, nearly 4 million enterprises and public institutions had set up more than 1.84 million trade unions across China, it says. The number of trade union members in China had exceeded 226.3 million.

Some 99.7 percent of the school-age population had access to nine-year compulsory education at the end of 2009, and 99.5 percent of counties in China had provided nine-year compulsory education, the paper says.

In 2009, China also invested 1.24 billion yuan ($181.55 million) for the socioeconomic development of the areas inhabited by ethnic minority people.

At the end of 2009, there were more than 2.9 million ethnic cadres, accounting for 7.4 percent of the total number of cadres in China, the white paper says.■

What’s in the White Paper

Foreword

I. The People’s Rights to Subsistence and Development

II. Citizens’ Civil and Political Rights

III. Judicial Guarantee of human Rights

IV. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

V. Equal Rights and Special Protection for Ethnic Minorities

VI. Rights and Interests of People With Disabilities

VII. Exchanges and Cooperation With Other Countries in the Realm of human Rights