Forum on Human Rights Protection in Chinese Modernization held in Guangzhou

A forum on human rights protection in the Chinese path to modernization, was held at Guangzhou University in south China's Guangdong Province on Saturday, bringing together more than 80 experts and scholars of political science and law from leading Chinese universities.

Attendees held in-depth discussions on topics such as "Building China's Independent Knowledge System of Human Rights," "Criminal Law Issues and Human Rights Challenges in the Digital Age," and "Protecting the Rights and Interests of Minors."

During the event, participating experts said that China has developed its own approach to protecting human rights as the country continues to modernize.

"China's approach to human rights protection diverges from the Western path. One of ours is comprehensive cooperation, demonstrated through initiatives like common prosperity, rural revitalization, and Chinese modernization. I believe we must encourage more young people to engage in the development of human rights in China, whether through theoretical research or practical contributions," said Liu Zhiqiang, a professor at the Institute for Human Rights at Guangzhou University. Other scholars emphasized that protecting the human rights of China's 1.4 billion people is a foundational element of the country's modernization, evoking insights from classical Chinese philosophy.

"Chinese modernization is, first, modernization on a massive population scale. Despite the vast size of China’s population, we are committed to ensuring that every individual is respected and that the human rights of all are protected. The principle of 'Benevolence is to love all people' from Chinese philosophy offers profound insight for the world in understanding human rights—emphasizing care, respect for others, and a balanced appreciation for both the rights of others and oneself," said Dong Yanbin, a research fellow at Southwest University of Political Science and Law.

The fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October put forward proposals to advance the development of human rights. The forum in Guangdong aimed to lay a pathway for the implementation of the proposals and contribute to the improvement of the human rights protection system in China.

Forum on Human Rights Protection in Chinese Modernization held in Guangzhou

A senior advisor from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Friday underscored China's significant contribution to global economic stability, attributing its growth momentum to strong resilience and continuous industrial transformation.

The statement came just days after the organization further raised its forecast for China's real economic growth for 2025 to 5 percent in its latest economic outlook report.

In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing, Tamas Hajba, Head of the OECD Beijing Office, characterized China's economy in 2025 with three defining terms -- resilience, transformation, and vibrancy.

"Regardless of the external environment, China's economy performed well. China is also transforming its industry and restructuring industry," he said.

Having recently witnessed the capabilities of China's electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) in central China's Wuhan City, Hajba said he has been impressed by the innovation-driven changes that many industries in China have experienced in 2025.

"This electric 'helicopter' (eVTOL) which I saw at the automotive exhibition in Wuhan, I think it's really cool. It's really, really cool. It shows the future of technology, but it also shows that it's not only technology which exists on paper or a project, but it actually is going into commercial operations probably very, very soon," he said.

He also emphasized that Chinese enterprises are increasingly expanding their global footprint while driving forward with vigorous innovation at home.

"China has remained a key contributor, because China's integrated in the global economy, and also because of the reforms and market opening up measures. China's role will be and continues to be very, very important. China is also contributing to global advancement of technologies in sectors that are related to the green transformation," Hajba said.

China remains major contributor to global GDP growth: OECD advisor