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China's White Paper on Human Rights: Some Reflections


Earlier this month, a White Paper titled “Progress in China's Human Rights in 2012” was released. This is the first major policy document focussing on the domestic situation to come out during the new leadership and soon after the biennial publication of the Defence White Paper. Like the Defence White Paper, the document on Human Rights comes out once every two years. But unlike the former, it does not generate the hype. For China, it is an exercise in projecting its inclusive growth and sensitivity towards the marginalised and no longer seen as contestation with the West since issues like trade, tariff and currency have taken centre stage.
The context and timing of this paper is significant as it surveys the wide spectrum of social issues and the challenges facing China. These issues have been central to the Xi-Li's leadership since coming to power recently. The reported number protests over issues concerning environmental, employment and land ownership have crossed 100,000 in the 2012.1 At the same time, the new leadership has also identified corruption and exploitation of powers as problem areas to be effectively tackled. Yet, the scope of this White Paper is limited and only defines human rights in China as economic and political construction, cultural services, social development, ecological progress, and foreign exchange and cooperation.

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