On the morning of September 24, 2020, the 369th Global Human Rights Forum series was held at the A209, Research Building, College Road, China University of Political Science and Law. Professor Liu Huawen, currently the Deputy Dean and a research fellow of the Institute of International Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and the Executive Director of the CASS Center for Human Rights Studies, was invited to give a wonderful lecture entitled “China’s Human Rights Development Path and the International Human Rights Law”. This lecture was hosted by Professor Zhang Wei, Co-director of the Institute for Human Rights.

First, Displaying the achievement of the People’s Republic of China in the past 70 years, especially during the past 40 years since the Reform and Opening up, professor Liu Huawen reviewed the China’s human rights development path. Since 1979, China has sent representatives to attend conferences of the UN Human Rights Commission as observers for many consecutive years; and since the Reform and Opening up, China has acceded to more than 20 international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and has actively participated in international human rights governance with the commitment to promoting the healthy development of international human rights.

Then, Professor Liu Huawen introduced the discourse system of China's human rights in the new era through a series of relevant documents. He mentioned that the right to subsistence and the right to development should be placed in the first place in the cause of human rights protection, and proposed to protect the right to survival and development at a higher level. We should make an empirical analysis of China's human rights development path, take the trinity of the rule of law, development and human rights, and implement the people-centered development concept. In the international field, China has always insisted on seeking common ground while reserving differences under the framework of the United Nations, pursuing the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, promoting development through cooperation, promoting human rights through development, and promoting global human rights governance under the concept of building a community with a shared future for human beings.

Later, Professor Liu Huawen mentioned that we should adhere to the thinking of international law and clarify the scope and nature of international human rights law when analyzing specific issues. We should pay attention to the differences between international law and domestic law, and avoid confusing international law and domestic law. He mentioned that nowadays, international law is necessary for doing a good job in diplomatic work and safeguarding national interests. In addition, the origin and effectiveness of international law are the basic methods and tasks of studying international law. We should start from the mindest of international law and realize that many documents of international organizations are not legally binding. Professor Liu Huawen also introduced the universal periodic review mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council, and pointed out that China adheres to a constructive and responsible attitude in the field of human rights and attaches great importance to the relevant recommendations in the review report. China has made many new achievements and progress in promoting and protecting human rights, which are highly agreed by all countries in the world.

Moreover, Professor Liu Huawen mentioned the Pandemic this year. He pointed out that it is an arduous task for all mankind to overcome Covid-19, while scientific and legal battle against the Covid-19 are the main reasons for China's phased victory. Different understanding of the epidemic situation, the corresponding solutions are also different. It is an objective phenomenon which should be based on science. In the response to the coronavirus, China paid attention to the protection of the right to life. Based on science, China explored and responded to the epidemic in practice, and finally controlled the epidemic successfully, which was strongly affirmed by the international community.

Finally, Professor Liu Huawen introduced the case of Huang Haiyong v. Peru in detail. In this case, the issue of human rights is the key. It takes a long time to extradite Huang Haiyong. The case shows the close relationship between human rights and international law. Human rights are of great significance in the fields of anti-corruption, extradition and repatriation. At the end of the lecture, Professor Liu Huawen put forward his hope for our students of the Institute of human rights: I hope you will pay more attention to international law and make good use of international law and international human rights law. The lecture ended satisfactorily with the enthusiastic applause of the students.

Written by Lei DI