Mr. President,
China attaches great importance to the post-2015 development agenda that will serve as a guidance for our future international development cooperation. With regard to the relationship between human rights and the rule of law on the one hand and the post-2015 development agenda on the other, China wishes to make the following observations:
1. The post-2015 development agenda is both an important opportunity and an effective means to promote and realize human rights, in particular the right to development. We should, on the basis of the MDGs, continue to put poverty eradication and development at the centre of our efforts, give special attention to the challenges and difficulties faced by developing countries, especially African countries, the LDCs and small island counties, and focus on addressing the imbalance in development between the North and the South. We should avoid an overloaded agenda that will dilute and even interfere with the main theme of development. We must adhere to the principle of diversified modes of development. Countries vary in terms of the stage and level of development and in their specific situations, so their right to formulate their own development strategies and goals, and to choose their own development path and mode should be respected. We must insist on the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and establish a more equal and equitable global development partnership, eliminating inequalities among countries. The developed countries should honour their ODA commitment, provide development aid in real terms and scale up their support to the developing countries, particularly the African countries and the LDCs.
2. Promoting and protecting human rights are indeed very important to the achievement of development. As the three pillars of the UN's work, peace, development and human rights are mutually complimentary and mutually reinforcing. Development is the basis for the promotion of human rights, and human rights are the safeguard of development. Only by promoting and protecting human rights can we create conditions for achieving sustainable development. However, the issue of human rights is after all not the issue of development; it does not fall within the framework of the development agenda. As such, it should not become the focus of the post-2015 development agenda. The national conditions and stages of development are not the same in different countries, neither are the means and methods for the promotion and protection of human rights. And it is difficult to measure them with a unified goals and targets. Therefore, in the post-2015 development agenda, we can, in the preambular part, outline the importance of promoting and protecting human rights, especially the right to development, but there seems to be no need to set specific goals regarding the issue of human rights.
3. The rule of law is closely linked with development. The rule of law can provide institutional guarantee for development, while development can give impetus to the rule of law so that it can keep up with the need of development. At the same time, the rule of law is the internal affair of member states, which have the sovereign right to decide on how to build the rule of law and the right to choose their own path and mode for the rule of law in light of their specific conditions. There is no universally applicable mode and path for the rule of law. While countries can discuss on equal footing the issue of the rule of law and learn from each other's experience, it is not a good idea to establish quantifiable "parameters" or "indicators" for the rule of law. The international community should adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and universally recognized norms governing international relations, and refrain from using the rule of law situation in a country as a precondition for cooperation or development assistance.
Thank you, Mr. President.