国内英语新闻:China-Europe seminar on human rights opens

CHONGQING, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- A two-day China-Europe seminar on human rights opened Wednesday in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, centered around the theme of protecting the rights of ethnic minorities.

Cui Yuying, deputy director of China's State Council Information Office, said China's human rights cause has continued to improve with the launch of a set of new governance strategies since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

She briefed the seminar on China's successful human rights cause and China's achievements in protecting the rights of ethnic minorities. China has established the principle of equal treatment of all ethnic groups, and members of all ethnic groups have participated in managing national affairs at the constitutional, legal and institutional levels. [ The country has also taken a set of measures to ensure the equal rights of ethnic minorities in terms of politics, economy, culture, language, customs and religious beliefs, Cui said.

Hopefully, scholars from China and Europe can make use of the platform offered by the seminar to further deepen their communication, enhance mutual trust and upgrade practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, she said.

Pierre Bercis, chairman of the French New Human Rights Association, said it is important to respect the rights of cultural and religious diversity when protecting the basic rights of ethnic minorities. He also called on countries to go against hegemonism in the cultural sphere.

Tom Zwart, head of the Netherlands School of Human Rights Research of Utrecht University, said China has made historical contributions to the development of the international human rights cause, especially in terms of promoting compatibility between religion and society.

Sponsored by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and organized by the Institute of Human Rights of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, the seminar attracted over 50 experts from China and Europe.