Foreign
China to make greater contributions to healthy development of international human rights

By He Yin, People’s Daily
China was recently re-elected as a member of the Human Rights Council at the 78th session of the United Nations(UN) General Assembly for the term 2024 to 2026.
This is the sixth time that China has been elected to the Human Rights Council since its establishment in 2006, which fully demonstrates the international community’s full recognition of China’s achievements in the field of human rights and its active participation in international human rights cooperation.
As a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has always participated in UN human rights affairs with a responsible attitude, actively integrating into the global human rights governance system, and striving to promote the healthy development of international human rights undertakings.
China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and abides by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, earnestly fulfills its obligations to international human rights conventions and has ratified or joined 29 international human rights instruments, including six core UN human rights treaties. China has successfully participated in three rounds of Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council, becoming a role model of compliance.
Besides, the country also actively expands cooperation with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the High Commissioner’s office, as well as the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, demonstrating the image of a responsible major country.
China holds a people-centered human rights philosophy and believes that a happy life for the people is the most important human right. It has found a path towards better human rights that follows the trend of the times and fits its national realities. It has made historic progress in its human rights cause.
China aims at increasing people’s benefits, ensuring the people are their own masters and supporting development in an all-round way, and ensures that people enjoy a full range of human rights that are genuine, specific, effective, and functional.
China has built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and established the world’s largest education, social security, and medical and health care systems. It has made continuous efforts to develop whole-process people’s democracy, and enhanced protection for the rights and interests of specific groups such as ethnic groups, women, children, older people, and those with disabilities. It has made the sky bluer, the mountains greener and the waters more lucid, increasing people’s sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.
A European journalist said that each country can follow a human rights path that suits its national conditions, realizing the people’s aspirations for a better life and instilling confidence in future development. “China has set a very good example in this regard,” the journalist noted.
China has always attached importance to participating in the reform of the global human rights governance system, advocating for bigger voice and rights of developing countries, and steering global human rights governance toward greater fairness, equity and inclusiveness.
China is a vigorous proponent of reform of the UN special mechanisms for protecting human rights; it played a significant role in the negotiations and final vote on establishing the UN Human Rights Council. Its proposals were recognized by most countries.
China supports the establishment of specialized mechanisms within the UN Human Rights Council, such as those addressing the right to development, the right to food, and unilateral coercive measures.
China advocates for special conferences on food security and global financial crisis, actively promotes international mechanisms for protecting human rights.
China has facilitated the adoption of Human Rights Council resolutions on “the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights,” “promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of human rights” and “promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities.”
China practices true multilateralism, holds dear humanity’s common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and works to build a global community of shared future, providing new ideas for global governance, including human rights governance.
China’s proposal to build a global community of shared future has been incorporated into more than 10 resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council, becoming an important part of the international discourse on human rights. Foreign scholars said this vision has brought hope to global human rights governance in challenging times.
China has put forward the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, promoting human rights with development, safeguarding human rights with security, advancing human rights with cooperation, and contributing wisdom and solutions to building a world featuring “human rights for all.”
Human rights are a symbol of human progress. Mankind shares a common goal to enjoy human rights. China views the re-election as a good opportunity to continue its active participation in global human rights governance, and extensive exchanges and cooperation with other countries to contribute even more to the sound advancement of the international human rights cause and the building of a global community of shared future.
Foreign
Trump begins mass layoffs at Voice of America

The Trump administration has initiated sweeping layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters, effectively dismantling institutions long seen as critical for American influence abroad.
On Sunday, contractors working for VOA received an email notification that their employment would be terminated by the end of March. “You must cease all work immediately and are not permitted to access any agency buildings or systems,” the email read, according to multiple staff members who confirmed the development.
The move, which comes just a day after all employees were placed on administrative leave, disproportionately affects non-English-language services, where contractors make up a significant portion of the workforce. Many of these contractors are not U.S. citizens and may now face visa issues, further complicating their status in the country.
While most full-time staff remain employed for now, they have been told not to work, leaving VOA and its sister organizations in a state of uncertainty. Some services, unable to produce new programming, have resorted to playing music.
VOA, founded during World War II, has been a critical tool for U.S. public diplomacy, broadcasting in 49 languages to audiences in countries where press freedom is restricted. However, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday targeting its parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), as part of broader federal budget cuts.
The cuts extend beyond VOA, affecting other U.S.-funded media entities such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio Farda (which broadcasts in Persian to Iran), and Alhurra, an Arabic-language network launched after the 2003 Iraq invasion. The administration argues that taxpayers should not fund what it calls “radical propaganda,” despite VOA’s longstanding editorial independence.
Liam Scott, a VOA journalist covering press freedom and disinformation, expressed concern over the decision. “I’ve covered press freedom for a long time, and I’ve never seen something like what’s happened in the U.S. over the past couple of months,” he wrote on social media.
The move has drawn international attention, particularly from China and Russia, which have been expanding their own state-funded media efforts. The Chinese state-run *Global Times* reacted with an editorial declaring that “the monopoly of information held by traditional Western media is being shattered.”
Trump’s administration has pursued aggressive cuts across federal agencies, including eliminating most foreign aid and significantly reducing the Department of Education. With input from tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump has focused on reducing government size to facilitate tax cuts.
As the global media landscape shifts, the dismantling of U.S.-funded broadcasters leaves a vacuum that could be filled by rival state-controlled networks. Whether Congress or legal challenges will intervene remains to be seen, but for now, the future of America’s international broadcasting efforts hangs in the balance.
Foreign
Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law

A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to deport migrants allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under a wartime law.
US District Judge James Boasberg issued a restraining order preventing the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel undocumented migrants accused of gang ties. The order initially protected five individuals challenging the deportation but was later expanded to all affected noncitizens in US custody.
Boasberg also directed that any planes carrying these migrants be returned to the United States. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned,” he ruled. The restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days or until further court action.
The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, citing Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization that has “unlawfully infiltrated the United States” and is engaging in hostile actions. However, civil rights groups, including the ACLU, argue that the gang’s activities do not meet the legal definition of an invasion.
The Justice Department has appealed the ruling, while the case continues in court.
Foreign
China’s new chapter in global innovation

By Gu Yekai, Liu Yiqing, People’s Daily
At a smart construction project site managed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a quiet technological revolution is underway. Amid cranes and concrete, engineers are deploying advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that could fundamentally reshape the construction industry.
Li Fengjian, an AI specialistwith Xianyuan Technology, detailed how the company’s latest intelligent system – built on a large model – adapts to complex construction environments.”Engineering machinery equipped with intelligent agents can adjust its operations automatically in response to weather conditions,” Li explained, adding that a spatiotemporal sensing network further enhances the system, providing real-time tracking of both personnel and materials throughout the construction site.
In February this year, Xianyuan Technology rapidly integrated its self-developed model with DeepSeek-R1, effectively blending a general-purpose framework with industry-specific models. This integration, Li noted, has produced a solution capable of delivering expert-level performance in challenging, dynamic environments. The firm is based in the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, aburgeoning AI incubator that now hosts over 200 innovative enterprises.
China’s technological transformation extends well beyond the construction sector. Overthe past three decades, the country has evolved from its initial forays into internet connectivity to becoming a key player in global digital innovation.
Here, a steady stream of technological innovations are emerging, from the early days of emails and web browsing to the cutting-edge technologies represented by DeepSeek and the dynamic evolution of social media.
Wu Jianping, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and headof the Zhongguancun Laboratory, pointed out that while China had introduced only one internet standard before 2005, it now contributes to over 200 worldwide. Such strides illustrate the country’s concerted push toward high-level technological self-reliance – a journey marked by both persistence and determination.
Beyond the digital realm, China is makingsignificant inroads in aerospace, new energy, and other high-tech sectors. It has transitioned from being a follower to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global leaders, and in some areas, even taking the lead. Wu attributed these achievements to a dynamic ecosystem of policy reforms and talent cultivation that encourages creativity and technical expertise at every level.
Amid intensifying international competition, collaborative research and the integration of new technologies with traditional industries are central to China’s high-quality economic development.
Mei Linhai, a researcher at China’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Intelligence, remarked that the age of AI calls for continuous exploration. “In this era, everyone is an innovator. Only by persistently pushing the boundaries can we remain at the forefront of both technological and industrial development,” Mei observed.
In the field of general-purpose AI, Mei emphasized that independent innovation is paramount. He advocates for a self-driven industrial ecosystem that leveragesbreakthrough technologies to boost productivity and unlock new possibilities, Mei said.
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