On the morning of November 13, 2018, the 345th Global Human Rights Forum series was held at A209, Research Building, College Road Campus, China University of Political Science and Law. The Institute had the privilege of inviting Mr. Paul Baldwin, a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Geography from the University of California, Berkeley, and now working at the political and economic office of the United States Embassy in China, to give a lecture entitled "Human rights in American diplomacy". The lecture was presided over by Professor Zhang Wei, Co-director of the Institute.

At the beginning of the lecture, Mr. Paul Baldwin raised the issue of "What is human rights". The graduate students of the Institute responded positively, believing that human rights mainly refer to some basic rights of human beings, such as the right to life, and other students added that human rights can also be understood as the freedoms enjoyed by people, such as freedom of marriage, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of movement, etc. During the discussion, all of the students increased their awareness and understanding of the concept and content of human rights, as well as the boundaries of certain rights and freedoms.

Subsequently, Mr. Paul Baldwin introduced the relevant knowledge of the United States authorities, such as Congress and the State Council, based on his experience working in the State department of the United States. Mr. Paul Baldwin proposed the concept of "4P", namely power, prosperity, peace and principle, and put the concept through his entire speech. Mr. Paul Baldwin said that only by establishing principles and rules would it be possible to make better use of power and promote prosperity and peace. Mr. Paul Baldwin also analyzed some of the problems that still exist in China's domestic ethnic relationships and criminal legal rights from an objective point of view. At the same time, he also proposed that no country is perfect on the issue of human rights, and that every country needs to progress and gain new breakthroughs.

During the lecture, the students actively participated in the interaction, expressed their own opinions, and put forward the issue of freedom of information, such as the deletion of certain online information and the means of obtaining information about the weapons in United States, Mr. Baldwin patiently answered all the questions. According to Mr. Baldwin, there is always an inevitable situation of conflict of rights in many human rights issues, and "balance" is therefore a crucial element. Whether it is between public power and private rights, or between different public powers and different private rights, it is necessary to find a balance so that human rights can be better protected.

Mr. Baldwin was humorous in his speech, and the content of the lecture was rigorous and objective. Although it was only a short one hour, the students present benefited greatly. Finally, the lecture was successfully concluded by the students’ warm applause.

Written by: Zhang Zhimin