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Tuesday, April 9, 2024

China’s up on human rights

Majority of countries affirm China's human rights progress ...


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China's human rights record to be examined by Universal 


ON Jan 26 this year, China’s human rights report was unanimously adopted by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth cycle. More than 120 countries spoke highly of China’s remarkable achievements and unremitting efforts in human rights protection.

The concept of “human rights” became known from the West, yet its essential ideas have long existed in Chinese political culture. It was fully embodied in the long-cherished “people-being-first-of-all” political principle.

In the Book of Documents, one of China’s oldest classics written 3,000 years ago, it is written that “People are the foundation of a country. Only when people lead a good life can the country thrive.”

Mencius, the famous Chinese ancient sage, said the same thing: “People are the most important; the state is secondary.”

Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, priority has been given to ensuring and safeguarding the human rights of all Chinese citizens. Seeing both the global trend and China’s unique situation, the Chinese government has successfully pioneered its own way of advancing human rights protection and made historic achievements in various fields.

The following are three major principles. People are always at the centre. President Xi Jinping said: “... to ensure all Chinese people a life of contentment is China’s most weighty human right.”

After eight years of painstaking efforts, China has successfully alleviated nearly 100 million people out of poverty, putting an end to its centuries-long absolute poverty history.

This is an achievement not only for the Chinese people but also, more importantly, a victory for mankind as a whole. By realising the poverty reduction aim of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of time, China has contributed significantly to global poverty reduction and progress in human development.

China has made solid progress in advancing high-quality development and established the world’s largest education, social security and healthcare systems, bringing tangible benefits to people of all ethnic groups.

Human rights are equally enjoyed by all. China is as diverse and as multiethnic as Malaysia. There are 56 ethnic groups living on this vast land. Like seeds of a pomegranate hugging each other closely, people of different ethnic groups in China love and support each other as brothers and sisters do in one big family.

Big or small, all ethnic groups in China enjoy equal social status. Their rights and benefits are legally stipulated and protected, and freedom of religion is ensured to everyone.

Recent years have seen additional “Outlines for Women’s and Children’s Development” adopted, and “Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests” amended to further promote gender equality and all-around development of women and children in China.

The physically underprivileged in China are also given proper support with their medical, educational, occupational and spiritual needs.

In upholding the principles of fairness and justice, China has been cooperating with other countries in the UN Human Rights Council and other multilateral organisations.

China has facilitated the adoption of a series of major international human rights conventions and declarations, and shared its wisdom with the rest of the world by proposing the vision of “building a community with a shared future for mankind”. This vision has been incorporated into a number of UN Human Rights Council resolutions.

Besides conducting human rights dialogues with Malaysia and 30 other countries or regions, China has been promoting exchanges and cooperation in various fields to promote human rights protection.

China has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, which are Chinese solutions to addressing the global concerns of development deficits, security predicament and civilisational alienation.

Human rights are not abstract terms. They are specific in denotation, achievable in practical form and evolve with history. There are no fixed standards or one-fits-all models. Therefore, every country’s human rights development path should be allowed and respected, and success or failure can only be judged by its own people.

By undertaking Chinese-style modernisation, China is steadily advancing its cause of national rejuvenation to make it a stronger and more prosperous country.

China will bring better equitability to all its people and promote human rights protection to new heights.

Malaysia is also a diverse and inclusive society protecting human rights under the rule of law. As a good neighbour and close partner, China is willing to work with Malaysia in various fields to jointly contribute to the advancement of human rights development in both the region and the world.

Article 1 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” I believe that with the collective efforts of all, these common aspirations of humankind will eventually become a reality.

By OUYANG YUJING Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia

RELAYED POSTS:

Locking horns over human rights


By trying to pressure Bachelet, the US and West are unable to create an ‘iron curtain’ of human rights: Global Times editorial 

 

The US, West bound to lose ‘war on human rights’ against China





Monday, April 8, 2024

*Lastest on Rationale of UMNO for attacking KK Mart* : Islam under attack from ‘turncoats’

 


*Lastest on Rationale of UMNO for attacking KK Mart* :  

Currently the Chinese community is taking that this issue started when the KK Mart was going for listing on Bursa. 

The Umno guns approach KK Mart request for 50% share for Bumiputra. Kk rejected the request n this escalate to the current issues of the Allah socks as planted by Turncoat Chinese Muslim

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Islam under attack from ‘turncoats’, Muslims told in FT sermon

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Federal Territories (FT) Islamic authorities warned Muslims today that Islam was being maligned in the country, with its religious institutions allegedly targeted by traitorous Muslims.

Without naming the so-called “turncoats,” the sermon warned that if the situation continues unabated, a “cancer” will develop and invite divine wrath, with the community’s unity inevitably being broken.

“Even more saddening is when we discover that those who belittle are not the non-Muslims, but are actually those who profess to be Muslims, akin to turncoats or enemy collaborators.

“This is indeed shocking and is a great blow to all Muslims,” the FT Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) said in its sermon today.

Jawi also claimed that Islam’s position as the religion of the federation is being disputed in public, and Allah’s rules questioned and toyed with by those with questionable religious knowledge.

Jawi then warned that this constant questioning will divide the Muslim community, which in the end will cause Muslims to be oppressed and their lives, properties and faith be put under threat.

Muslim unity is also the current theme of Umno’s courtship of rival PAS, amid claims that the community’s political power was under threat.

“This divide will cause Muslims to lose their greatness in the eyes of the enemies and will no longer strike fear in their hearts,” said Jawi.

It pointed to the strife in the Arab world, Africa and Asia where Muslims have been left weakened, due to internal bickering.

Last month, pro-moderation group G25 came under fire after it announced the establishment of a consultative committee to review unconstitutional state Shariah enactments and laws that violate personal privacy, such as khalwat laws, and to recommend their repeal or amendment.

The group, which comprises Malay senior retired civil servants, has since been criticised by conservative Malay-Muslim groups such as Perkasa and Isma as well as Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, who accused G25 of having “very weak” religious knowledge.

Several groups have also called for the moderate Malay group to be banned by Putrajaya, claiming that the group is spreading “deviant teachings”.

The groups has since told Malay Mail Online that it is not aiming to “reform Islam”, but only to review Shariah legislation that is unconstitutional and which violates Islamic legal principles.


Ramasamy wants UMNO to quit unity gov’t following 3rd molotov cocktail attack at KK Mart Kuching

SHOULD UMNO still be part of the unity government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after having uncritically backed its youth wing head honcho Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh over the controversial socks’ incident?

UMNO has some senior leaders occupying cabinet posts in the government. Its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is one of the two Deputy Prime Ministers. The portfolios of Education and Foreign Ministers are helmed by UMNO leaders.

In short, UMNO has been over-rewarded in the unity government considering that it has lesser MPs than DAP for instance (UMNO won 26 seats in the 15th General Election while DAP has 40 seats).

UMNO has a powerful stake in the government to ensure law and order. The party might not have the necessary Malay support but surely by blindly supporting the political antics of Akmal, Malay support might never come back. Essentially, UMNO has “shut the doors of the stable after the horses have bolted”.

Akmal’s incessant and reckless calls for nationwide boycott against KK Super Mart have undoubtedly raised the ethnic and religious temperature in the country.

The heightened tensions must have given rise to petrol bomb attacks against the KK Super Mart stores in Bidor (Perak), Kuantan (Pahang) and lately, Kuching (Sarawak). All these attacks took place within a spate of one week.

Big price to pay

Surely, UMNO leaders cannot dismiss the fact there is correlation between Akmal’s calls for boycott and the resulting tensions in the country.

It was expected that UMNO leaders would calm the situation in the larger interest of law and order but unfortunately, they endorsed the reckless position of Akmal.

It emboldened Akmal to say that he was prepared to lose his party post than give up the fight to maintain the sanctity of Islam.

UMNO’s support for Akmal gives rise to suspicions that there is more to the boycott than the unearthing of socks with Allah inscription.

There are rumours that the Akmal belligerent stand might have to do with the internal rift in UMNO. Akmal might be aligning with a particular faction in the party.

Some others are saying that the boycott might be related to the opposition to Anwar from forces outside the government.

This could be the reason why PAS refused to join in the boycott against the KK Super Mart. If at all any party that knows UMNO well, it is definitely PAS.

After the formation of the unity government with the support of UMNO, I remarked that the party and its tainted leaders could be the “albatross around the neck” of the government. In other words, UMNO is the political burden of the unity or Madani government.

I am more than convinced that the boycott phenomenon has rendered UMNO as the most unreliable partner of the unity government.

Anwar wants UMNO to prolong his stay as the PM but at what cost to the stability and well-being of the nation? Yet, his loyal lieutenants and sycophants want Anwar to go for the second term.

The sooner UMNO gets out of the government, the better it is for the country and the people. Once out, Akmal can make all the noise he wants. Nobody will care about the spent force. – April 2, 2024

Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the Urimai (United Rights of Malaysian Party) Interim Council.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.

SOURCE:

https://focusmalaysia.my/ramasamy-wants-umno-to-quit-unity-govt-following-3rd-molotov-cocktail-attack-at-kk-mart-kuching/

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Saturday, April 6, 2024

Yellen’s trip eyes on ‘further stabilizing’ China-US ties; Washington needs Beijing’s cooperation to resolve national debt crisis

 US should speak nicely when seeking help from China: Chinese experts

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Photo:CGTN

US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, a US senior official who is believed to be pragmatic and less hawkish toward China than many of her peers, has arrived Guangzhou, capital of South China’s Guangdong Province, and kicked off her 6-day visit to China from Thursday to Tuesday (April 4-9), with Chinese experts saying on Friday that Yellen is trying to seek helps from China to solve US economic challenges, and they said US officials need to adjust its arrogant attitude and speak nicely when asking helps.

He Lifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Vice Premier of the State Council, has met with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Guangzhou. The two sides discussed in-depth key issues related to the global, economic and financial fields of China and the US.

He said the main task for this meeting is to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in their meetings and telephone dialogue, and seek to provide appropriate responses to key concerns in China-US economic relations, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday.

 “I opened meetings with Vice Premier He Lifeng for frank and substantive conversations on our bilateral economic relationship. It is crucial that the two largest economies in the world seek progress on global challenges and closely communicate on areas of concern,” Yellen said in a post on social media platform X on Friday afternoon.

On Friday, Yellen also had round-table discussions with economic experts and business leaders from the US and some other countries from Europe and Japan to discuss the economic situation of Chinese market, as well as opportunities and challenges linked to the Chinese economy. Yellen also attended an event with leading representatives of the American business community in China, hosted by AmCham China, and delivered remarks on the bilateral economic relationship. 

According to her released schedule in coming days, which expected to include meetings with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and senior Chinese officials who in charge different economic and financial sectors of China, analysts said Yellen’s trip eyes on further stabilizing the China-US relations as US President Joe Biden doesn’t want a fragile and uncertain bilateral ties with China, and Washington needs China’s cooperation to solve its headaches at home: a national debt problem and save US backward production capacity by adding pressure to China’s development in new energy technologies with the pretext of “overcapacity.”  

Jin Canrong, the associate dean of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Friday that “Yellen is an official who is different from the hawkish ones in Washington who actively push for confrontation with China, she is relatively pragmatic and moderate.”

In the phone call between the presidents of the two countries on Tuesday evening, Biden is probably asking for China to permit Yellen’s visit, as we can see Yellen kicks off her visit very soon after the phone call, which means that the US has prepared for the visit for a long time, and they are just waiting for China’s green light, Jin said. 

“According to this, we can have a conclusion that the US is asking for something urgent. Washington’s national debt problem could be the top of the agenda. Yellen might ask help from China in the field of monetary policy,” Jin noted.

The Congressional Budget Office warned in its latest projections that US federal government debt is on a path from 97 percent of GDP last year to 116 percent by 2034, which is higher even than in World War II. The actual outlook is likely worse, Bloomberg reported on April 2.

The CNBC reported on March 1 that the debt load of the US is growing at a quicker clip in recent months, increasing about $1 trillion nearly every 100 days.

Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Friday that in this visit, the Biden administration is seeking the further stabilization of China-US relations in the presidential election year. “The two sides are expected to discuss about coordination on macroeconomic policy and trade, and this is not only important to China and the US, but also significant to the world.” 

But as a US official with pragmatic and relatively friendly image to China, Yellen this time presented her tough stance in some areas. According to the website of US Department of Treasury, “During her engagements in China, Secretary Yellen will advocate for American workers and businesses to ensure they are treated fairly, including by pressing Chinese counterparts on unfair trade practices and underscoring the global economic consequences of Chinese industrial overcapacity.”

Washington will not allow “a glut of Chinese production to wipe out American manufacturers of green technology,” Yellen has warned ahead of a trip to China, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Li said the US should take the issue about “overcapacity” more objectively, because China’s productive capacity is determined by the global demand and the efficiency and market size of China.

Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that Yellen’s expression is a bad signal for China-US trade ties, as this is implying that when the US development in areas like new energy and electric vehicle (EV) is facing backward or even failure, Washington is trying to contain China’s productive capacity to protect its backward capacity.

“This is very disappointing, as this is indecent for a US Secretary of Treasury to blame and contain China’s development in advanced areas to protect US’ backward productive capacity,” Lü noted. 

At present, China’s EV export and photovoltaic industry have unshakable status in the world market, the US’ measure to contain China in these fields will receive no outcomes, Lü said. “Chinese economic and financial officials can give Yellen a good lecture about how to mobilize resources in the market and whole society to develop a new industry. The EV industry is an example of the success of China’s market economy.”

Chinese analysts said that Yellen and the Biden administration should understand that, if they are coming to China to ask for help and cooperation, they need to adjust their arrogant attitude and speak nicely, and don’t ask for unfair competition to confront and contain China, who will never submit to pressure based on hegemonic logic. 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202404/1310047.shtml

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