Push for new developments in China's human rights

1. People's living standards have continuously improved. Thanks to a series of important policies and measures that the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have formulated and implemented to pursue structural readjustment, steady growth and further reform, people's livelihoods have continually improved. Both urban and rural residents have seen advancements in their incomes, employment, housing, medical care, education, public cultural services and their rights to subsistence and development. People's economic, social and cultural rights have all been better guaranteed. In 2013, the average income of China's urban residents rose by 7 percent, while the average income of rural residents rose by 9.3 percent. The employed population in urban areas increased by 13.1 million, while the registered unemployment in cities and towns remained at 4.1 percent. The poverty-stricken population in China's rural areas was reduced by 16.5 million. The growth in the incomes of urban and rural residents outpaced the growth of China's GDP, and the incomes of rural residents grew faster than that of urban residents. In addition to increasing improvements to China's basic social security system, the national basic endowment insurance system has been extended to all rural and urban residents, and the national medical insurance system has been further improved. China has put together a framework for the largest social security system in the world.

2. The democratic rights and freedoms that the people enjoy according to the law have been further expanded. In China, electoral democracy and consultative democracy complement each other, and the principle that "the people are the masters of the country" has been further integrated into our political and social lives. During the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) held in 2013, the NPC deputies were elected at the same rate in both urban and rural areas for the first time, the number of deputies from the lower rungs of society increased, and the number of representatives of migrant workers multiplied. The number of worker and farmer deputies was 5.18 percent higher than it was at the previous NPC. The institutional development of consultative democracy has constantly progressed. The quality and effectiveness of democratic oversight has greatly improved. The members of more than 98 percent of village committees in China were directly elected. Important steps toward building integrity in government have also been taken. Since its inauguration, the new State Council administration has decentralized and canceled 690 items requiring administrative approval. China has broadened channels for redress of rights violations and fully opened online petition platforms so as to actively respond to public appeals. By June 2014, the number of netizens in China had reached 632 million, and the Internet was being used by 46.9 percent of the country's population, higher than the target of 45 percent designated in the Action Plan.

3. The legal guarantees for human rights have been further strengthened. Since 2012, China has been revising major laws including the Criminal Procedure Law and the State Compensation Law, formulating regulations such as the Provisions on Issues Concerning the Implementation of the Criminal Procedure Law and the Decision on Repealing Legislation on Re-education through Labor. By September 2014, 242 laws, 738 administrative regulations, and some 9,000 local regulations had come into effect in China. The people's basic rights have been better guaranteed by law. The country continues to deepen reforms aimed at speeding the construction of a just, efficient and authoritative socialist judicial system. Crimes that seriously infringe upon citizens' personal rights have been made punishable by law, and a system preventing and rectifying cases in which people are unjustly, falsely or wrongly charged or sentenced has been enhanced. Many measures have been simultaneously taken to guarantee the personal rights of suspects, defendants and detainees, thus maintaining social fairness and justice. Furthermore, the coverage of the legal aid system has been expanded, increasing the quality of investigation and legally guaranteeing the human rights of vulnerable groups.