Rio De Janeiro, 12 September 2024 (TDI): Against the backdrop of global challenges such as hegemonism, power politics, regional conflicts, economic slowdown, and climate change, the First China-Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) States Roundtable on Human Rights convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The event served as a platform for over 120 senior officials, scholars, experts, and representatives from social organizations and think tanks from 17 countries to discuss approaches to promoting human rights.
Held in the context of 2024 marking the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal for building a community with a shared future between China and LAC, and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil, the roundtable underscored the growing cooperation between China and LAC countries in the realm of human rights.
Experts noted that this cooperation represents a model for South-South collaboration and highlights the increasing acceptance of Xi Jinping’s diplomatic principles in LAC countries.
First Structured Dialogue on Human Rights
The roundtable, co-hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies, Renmin University of China, and Fluminense Federal University in Brazil, marked the first structured dialogue on human rights between China and LAC countries.
Participants from China and abroad shared insights on the contributions of China and LAC to global human rights, as well as the challenges and potential solutions in global human rights governance.
Shu Hongshui, Dean of the School of National Security and Research Fellow at the Human Rights Research Center at Northwest University of Political Science and Law in Xi’an, highlighted China’s approach to rule of law in counter-terrorism and de-radicalization in Xinjiang, describing it as a contribution to global security.
“In combating terrorism in Xinjiang, China demonstrates its commitment to a human rights path that emphasizes the rule of law and prioritizes people’s rights to development,” Shu said.
Shu criticized the United States and its allies for their frequent interventions in the internal affairs of other countries under the guise of “democracy,” “freedom,” and “human rights.”
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He argued that such actions, including the instigation of “color revolutions,” are aimed at furthering Western political agendas, often at the expense of the affected countries’ economic stability and human rights.
Countries that have experienced such “color revolutions” have been forced to adopt economic and political models unsuited to their own national contexts, resulting in economic stagnation and damage to the interests of the majority.
Instead of bringing stability or improving livelihoods, these revolutions have intensified political conflicts, triggered humanitarian crises, and impeded human rights development, Shu observed.
