Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the positive role of international human rights instruments in promoting and protecting human rights, and has so far acceded to 26 international human rights instruments.

The Chinese government has implemented in earnest its obligations under these human rights treaties, and seen to it that its domestic legislation and policy measures align with treaty provisions. It has prepared and submitted periodic implementation reports as required by the treaties, offering a full account of the achievements and shortcomings in China’s implementation of the relevant human rights treaties. Since the return of Hong Kong and Macau to the Chinese sovereignty, the Chinese government, under the principle of “one country, two systems”, has energetically supported the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau in honoring their relevant treaty obligations and protecting the human rights of their residents. Since the beginning of this year, China has submitted the combined 14th to 17th reports on the implementation of the International Convention on The Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; reports on the follow-up to the review of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the review of the Convention Against Torture respectively; and the report on the follow-up to the review of the initial report submitted by the Special Administrative Region of Macau on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Chinese government is fully committed to cooperating with all parties and working for greater progress in the protection of human rights in China.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese government commends the efforts by various treaty bodies to review the implementation by the states parties of human rights instruments, and supports the treaty bodies in conducting their work within their respective mandates. More than 3 years after the adoption of the GA resolution on strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the human rights treaty bodies (Res.68/268), the overall implementation of the resolution still falls short of the goal of strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the treaty body system, with some problems such as uneven implementation of different provisions, lack of transparency, and inadequate attention to the views of states parties.

China believes that measures to reform the treaty body system should aim at facilitating constructive dialogue and cooperation between treaty bodies and states parties, ensure the objectivity and impartiality of the work of treaty bodies, and steer clear of politicization and selectivity. As both the founder of human rights treaty bodies and the main executor of treaty obligations and recommendations of treaty bodies, states parties should play a leading role in the reform of the treaty body system, and the compliance reports provided by the governments of states parties demand full attention. Meanwhile, China welcomes the participation of civil society, including NGOs and other stakeholders, in the work of treaty bodies in accordance with the spirit of relevantUN resolution and in proper formats. The materials they submit should be screened by the relevant treaty bodies to ensure their factual accuracy and reliability, in order to arrive at a comprehensive, objective and impartial assessment of the implementation by the states parties concerned.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese government appreciates the efforts by the various human rights treaty bodies to prepare, within the purview of their mandates, general comments on treaty provisions. We are of the view that since the treaty body system is derived from the various human rights treaties, its operation should be in strict compliance with treaty provisions. The general comments must be faithful to the original intent of the treaty, and must avoid any expanded interpretation of the treaty provisions as well as additional burdens for states parties. In the course of preparing the general comments, the treaty bodies need to broadly solicit opinions from all parties, especially states parties. China stands ready to continue to explore this topic in-depth together with other countries, in order to ensure the effective operation of treaty bodies within their respective mandates and enable states parties to better play their leading role in the reform of human rights 68/268treaty bodies.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.