Human Rights in China:Exploration and Development of Whole-process People’s Democracy

Whole-process people’s democracy represents a new exploration of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era as well as a novel and important method for protecting the human rights of the Chinese people.It is conducive to solving a multitude of problems hindering the protection of civil rights and political rights.The greatest highlight of whole-process people’s democracy is that the people are the masters of their own country and exercise the power to govern the state through“extensive participation and consultation.”China’s experience and approaches in advancing whole-process people’s democracy provide a reference for other countries.

For People's Right to Safety Of Lives and Health——On development of health-related human rights in China

Medical and health work constitutes the prerequisite to protection of the people's right to safety of lives and health. Over the past decades, the Chinese Government has spared no effort in this regard and, as a result, the Chinese people's health has significantly improved. In the nationwide fight against the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic in the first half of 2003, the Government placed the health of the Chinese people and the safety of their lives above everything else. With a huge input of human, financial and material resources, the country won a decisive victory over the epidemic. Following is the full text of an interview by Human Rights with Gao Qiang, executive vice-minister of the Ministry of Health, on China's medical and health work and how it is related to protection of human rights.

Reform of Health System for People's Right to Health——An interview with Gao Qiang,Minister of Health

EDITOR＇S NOTE： In an interview given of late to our staff reporter, Gao Qiang, Chinese Minister of Health, spoke on the achievements made by China in medical and health work during the Tenth Five-Year Plan period （2001-2005）, the soaring medical costs that have invoked much public complaint, ways of carrying to depth the reform of the medical service system, development of the rural cooperative medical system and community-based medical services in cities, as well as prevention and control of AIDS. Following is a transcript of the interview.

Deepening China-Africa Cooperation, Benefiting People’s Health

CHINA and Africa have been a commu- nity of shared interests and shared destiny Their collaboration benefits not only the development of China and Africa but also promotes the unity and cooperation of developing countries. Health cooperation is a powerful testimony to the friendship between Chinese and African people. Based on win-win cooperation and aiming at the well-being of the people, China and Africa have attained fruitful results through health cooperation over the last five decades.

China's Human Rights Construction Centers on People's Livelihood

1. Concept of People＇s Livelihood in Traditional Chinese Culture The concept of human rights was borrowed from the West. In order to have it become rooted in China, people needed to find traces in Chinese culture on which the human rights theoretical system could be based and the Chinese human rights idea could be realized.

Letter from Li Peng Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, To China Society for Human Rights Studies

China Society for Human Rights Studies, I would like to extend my warm greetings to the launch of your Human Rights magazine. Enjoying human rights fully is a lofty goal long pursued after by human race. Over the years when they carried out revolution, construction and reforms, the Chinese people have struggled indomitably and strived incessantly to achieve this goal. Progress made in this regard has caught worldwide attention. When struggling for, safeguarding, promoting and developing human rights, the Chinese people have always combined the universality prin-

Legislative Protection for Women's Rights and Interests after the Founding of the People's Republic of China

The process of legislative protection for women’s rights and interests of the new China can be divided into two phases: The first phase is from the establishment of the People’s Republic of China to the adoption of the policy of reform and opening up to the outside

The Public Health VS the People＇s Autonomy： Banning Smoking in Orthodox Jewish Community

Smoking is a worldwide problem. Research in recent years has shown us that smoking and second hand smoking can cause many diseases1. As a result of the understanding of the results of smoking, the house of legislator in Israel decided to legislate a law that people under the age of 18 cannot smoke and, a couple of years later, it decided to ban smoking in public places. The problem begins when the law is affecting the person＇s autonomy and the person＇s culture. More than four decades ago when the smoking habit began in Israel, no one knew what the influence would be. Now, although that information is available, the orthodox community in Israel is not exposed to the knowledge. Smoking in this community begins from Purima or from the Bar-Mitzvah3 and from the will of the young orthodox to rebel. This law raises a question： Is it ethical to deprive the young orthodox of the right to smoke？ Alternatively, is there a better way to stop the orthodox from smoking than only the regulation？ In this paper, the author will try to show that regulation alone will not help in the orthodox community, and we need to think on more options to make the orthodox more informed to smoking problems. The author thinks that the best way will be to educate the orthodox community from young age.

On the Human Rights Implications of the Whole-process People’s Democracy

The whole-process people’s democracy is a prerequisite for the people’s democracy.It is the organic unity of process and outcome democracy,procedural and substantive democracy,direct and indirect democracy,as well as the people’s democracy and the will of the state.The whole-process people’s democracy is the latest theoretical expression of the concept of socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics,a new achievement in the practice of socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics,a new development of the system of the socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics,and a new contribution to the development path of human rights in the world.

On the Process and Rights in the Whole-process People’s Democracy

Theoretically, the whole-process people’s democracy involves five processes, namely, political process, policy process, urban and rural community governance process, enterprises and institutions management process, and international exchange process. Fach process includes several links which involve different democratic rights. To comprehensively promote the whole-process people’s democracy, it is necessary to make a detailed distinction between the democratic rights of each process, build a corresponding system and mechanism for the protection of rights, improve the ability of people in democracy, and establish the system and mechanism for evaluating the effect of democracy implementation.

Human Rights Implications of the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China

Putting the people first in human rights protection is the most distinctive feature of the outlook on human rights in contemporary China. The codification of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China reflects the people’s legislation for themselves, which is guided by the principle of putting the people first in its external system and internal values. Functionally, the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China reflects the obligation of the country to protect human rights, constructs the framework relationship between the country and individual people, and perfects the mechanism for human rights protection. The continuous expansion of the types, contents, and functions of civil rights in the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China is required by the broad scope of human rights, with an aim to realize a happy life for the people, the most important human rights, and protect people’s personal rights, property rights, and right to dignity through specific rules. The universal sharing of human rights requires the universality of the subjects of civil rights. The equal sharing of human rights requires the equality of forms of civil rights protection. Meanwhile, it further requires the substantive equality of civil rights protection. Attention is paid to protecting the rights and interests of specific groups in external and embedded ways.

Civil Affairs Authorities Bent on Protecting People's Basic Rights

In response to the global financial crisis,China’s civil affairs au-thorities redoubled their effort in 2009 to improve the livelihood of the Chinese people and protect their basic rights and interests under the constitutional principle of respectingand protecting human rights.

Human Rights Protection Under China's Judicial System——An Interview with Xiao Yang, President of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China

Question: As you know. attention is now growing in China and outside to judicial protection of human rights. As President of the Supreme People’s Court and China’s top judge, would you make some comments on protection of human rights under China’s juridical system?

To Realize People's Right To Social Security

The right to social security is the basic right of citizens of a country. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which came into effect for China on June 27, 2001, stipulates in its Article 9 that "the States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to social security, including social insurance." It also says in its Article 2 (1) that "each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to take steps, individually and through international assistance and co-operation, especially economic

For a Legal Guarantee to Improve People’s Livelihood and Protect Human Rights——Thoughts on policy concerning Social Insurance Law (draft)

The People＇s Republic of China Social Insurance Law （draft） has undergone three readings at the Standing Committee of the National People＇s Congress. The Law, once promulgated, will be of great significance to implementation of the constitutional principle of ＂respecting and protecting human rights.＂ It will help regulate the various social insurance relationships and the rights and obligations of the parties involved.

People's Assessor Systems Pivotal to Protection of Human Rights

Back in August 2004, the Standing Committee of the National People＇s Congress, the highest legislature of China, published the Decision on Improving the People＇s Assessor System （hereinafter referred to as the Decision）. Since it became effective on May 1, 2005, the Decision has proved important to ensuring the right of citizens to participate in activities of adjudication in accordance with the law. It has helped expand judicial democracy and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the litigant parties.

People's Complaints System in China——Chinese way of human rights relief

The people＇s complaints system is a mechanism of democracy and human rights relief under the traditional legal system of China. It has displayed positive roles during different historical periods after 1949 when the new China was founded.

How China Protects People's Right to Labor——An interview with Labor and Social Security Minister Tian Chengping

Following is an interview given to our staff reporter by Chinese Minister Tian Chengping of Labor and Social Security on protection of the people＇s right to labor, which is an important part of the national endeavor to protect human rights. The minister spoke on a range of questions, including employment and reemployment of workers in Chinese cities, wages of migrant workers from the countryside, efforts to narrow the gap of income between different population groups, and protection of the legitimate rights and interests of the working masses.

The People’s Right To Know

Govt officials publicly declare their assets in the ongoing fight against corruption