Human rights forum in China marks UN Charter's 80th anniversary

A forum marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) Charter was held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Wednesday, bringing together nearly 90 human rights experts and scholars from home and abroad.

Lu Guangjin, vice president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said at the event that China's human rights endeavors have made continuous progress over the past decade, with their global influence increasing steadily.

China has been working to improve people's livelihoods, and to protect and promote human rights through development, enabling its people to share more of the fruits of development, Lu added.

The 2025 Li Buyun Law Prize ceremony was held alongside the forum, with Zhang Yonghe, executive dean of the Human Rights Institute at the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, receiving this year's award for over 30 years of research, notably redefining the "Right to Development" as an "eternal right" for all humanity, a Chinese perspective gaining worldwide attention.

"Peace, development, and human rights are the three pillars of the UN Charter. Given today's global situation, I feel we must emphasize these rights even more. This also reflects China's view on human rights -- prioritizing the rights to subsistence and development as primary, indivisible human rights. Similarly, without development, achieving peace is very difficult," said Zhang.

The Li Buyun Law Prize recognizes individuals and organizations who have made eminent contributions to Chinese and international legal studies and legal education exchange. It was established in 2013 by the Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law in honor of Li Buyun, a pioneer in human rights law research in China.

Attending the event, Djibril Diallo, former spokesperson of the UN secretary-general, also hailed China's efforts over the years as "impressive."

"China's view of human rights is really central to the issue, because it links to the most basic levels. I have observed how China has been over the years promoting human rights in order to introduce issues such as fighting hunger, providing education and also health issues, and especially providing issues as entry points to dealing with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. So that's the most impressive," he said.

Wednesday's event also saw the launch of the Chinese and English editions of "Women in China's New Era," a book featuring 30 real-life stories of Chinese women who have pursued their aspirations and realized personal value.

"I think personal stories and especially human stories, women stories are very important to see how human rights development is in action in the everyday life of normal and average people, how they understand the development and how they have the fruits of the development," said Krisztina Karsai, a law professor at the University of Szeged in Hungary.

Human rights forum in China marks UN Charter's 80th anniversary

A Japanese energy expert has warned that ongoing oil supply shortages caused by escalating tensions in the Middle East could continue to drive up prices, intensify concerns over supply security, and ultimately drag down the world economy if the situation persists.

The ongoing conflict sparked by the attacks of the United States and Israel against Iran has tightened global energy supplies, prompting countries to take emergency measures. The Japanese government began releasing oil reserves on March 16.

In an Interview with China Central Television on Wednesday, Ken Koyama, chief economist at Japan's Institute of Energy Economics, warned that the uncertain situation in the Middle East could keep pushing up oil prices and worsen supply concerns.

"This crisis caused by attacks by the U.S. and Israel has already lasted a month. Although there are various reports about a ceasefire, the actual direction remains unclear. If this situation continues, not only will it push up oil prices for Japan and the world, but it will also intensify concerns about supply shortages, dragging down the global economy. The longer it lasts, the more serious the problem becomes," said Koyama.

Koyama noted that shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have nearly halted Middle Eastern exports of refined oil products, posing a severe challenge for Japan, which relies heavily on these imports.

"Crude oil can be transported via pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz, but there are no such alternative routes for refined oil products. Exports of refined oil products from the Middle East have been almost completely interrupted. This presents a huge challenge for countries dependent on Middle Eastern oil products. About 40 percent of Japan's naphtha is imported directly from the Middle East, and the raw materials for naphtha produced domestically also rely on crude oil from the region. So, the overall impact is significant. If the crisis is prolonged, the effects will gradually expand, and the outlook is not optimistic," he said.

Oil shortage threatens global economy: Japanese expert