STORY: Chinese ambassador to U.S. introduces Chinese modernization, China's achievements in human rights and democracy
DATELINE: June 25, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:05
LOCATION: Washington
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE (English): XIE FENG, Chinese Ambassador to the United States

STORYLINE:

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng recently addressed a regional conference convening nations of the Americas, where he introduced Chinese modernization and China's historic achievements in human rights and democracy.   

Xie, also the Permanent Observer of China to the Organization of American States (OAS), led a Chinese government delegation to attend the 53rd Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly at the organizer's invitation. The event ran from Wednesday to Friday in Washington, bringing together foreign ministers and vice foreign ministers from more than 30 regional countries.

SOUNDBITE (English): XIE FENG, Chinese Ambassador to the United States
"China is committed to a human rights development path that meets the trend of the times and suits our national conditions. As we advance Chinese modernization, we have been strengthening human rights protection to promote free and well-rounded development of the people.
Today, the 56 ethnic groups in China are living in harmony, and our people leading a happy life. We have built the world's largest education, social security and health care systems over the past four decades of reform and opening up.
China's per capita income has grown over 25 times with 850 million lifted out of poverty. We have ended absolute poverty once and for all, contributing over 70% to global poverty reduction.
We believe that true democracy and human rights are about respecting each other's choice of democracy models and human rights practices. China advocates safeguarding human rights through security, promoting them through development, and advancing them through cooperation.
We in China often say that dialects change every 10 miles, and folk customs differ every 100 miles. You have Latin dance while we have Chinese folk dance. Likewise, there is just no one-size-fits-all development model. We believe that true democracy and human rights are about respecting each other's choice of democracy models and human rights practices.
China has been constantly developing whole-process people's democracy. It is in both process and outcome, procedure and substance, a combination of direct and indirect democracy. It is people's democracy in nature and also represents the will of the state. It is therefore extensive, genuine. A democracy that truly works. We believe that democracy is not a slogan. It should be used to resolve real problems.
Only the wearer knows if the shoes fit or not.
According to a decade-long Harvard poll and surveys by Edelman, the Chinese people's satisfaction with its government has stayed above 90% for years in a row. We never export our model. Instead, we welcome exchange and mutual learning, and stand ready to work with all to build a community with a shared future for mankind."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington.
(XHTV)