China-Africa cooperation is an effective pathway for both sides to realize the right to development, a fundamental human right, according to a consensus reached between representatives from China and more than 40 African countries at the first China-Africa Human Rights Seminar.

More than 200 officials, diplomats, scholars and business representatives from China and Africa also agreed that the right to development is an inalienable human right, and serves as a prerequisite to realize other human rights, at the seminar, held in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, on Friday. They called for respecting the diversity of human rights, and opposing the politicization of the issue.

"Both China and African countries have the right to choose their own paths of human rights development based on their actual national conditions and historical-cultural traditions. We respect the diversity of human rights civilizations, oppose the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights issues, as well as the use of human rights as a pretext to interfere in other countries' internal affairs or deprive their peoples of the right to development," they said.

Applauding the fruitful result of China-Africa cooperation under various platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the representatives called for further bilateral cooperation to benefit human rights on both sides.

"Through mutual learning and exchange, we will consolidate the foundation of the China-Africa community with a shared future and comprehensively promote the progress and development of human rights endeavors in both China and Africa," they said.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the seminar, Jiang Jianguo, executive vice-president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said China has been regarding the right to survival and development as a fundamental human right, and China's historic achievement in human rights development has provided the pathway to promote and protect human rights through development.

"Poverty is the biggest obstacle to realizing human rights, and development is the key to improving human rights protection," he said.

Chen Hai, Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia, said human rights development cannot be detached from a country's reality and the fundamental interests of its people, and it must suit a country's national conditions and aim to ensure a happy and dignified life for the people.

Intensifying cooperation

"Both China and Africa are at a crucial stage to promote modernization," he said. "We should make use of various platforms, such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative, to intensify cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development, agriculture, healthcare, education and employment, so tangible results of development will improve the survival and development rights of Chinese and African people," he said.

Fekadu Tsega, director general of the Policy Studies Institute, Ethiopia, said the right to development is the common pursuit of the Global South, and international cooperation, dialogue and mutual respect are necessary for countries to confront common challenges facing peace, development and human rights protection.

"The principle of a shared future emphasizes equality, sovereignty and dignity for all nations," he said. "In the context of China-Africa relations, this vision translates into concrete cooperation, infrastructure, education, technology and growth. The partnership not only has advanced economic development and social progress, but also improved human dignity, equality and justice.

"By working in partnership, we anticipate a world where prosperity, peace and human rights are shared by all," he said.

Mohamed Osman Omar, state minister of family and human rights development, Somalia, said China's achievements in human rights, including lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty over the past decades, can serve as valuable lessons for many African countries.

The decades-long cooperation between China and Somalia has not only greatly promoted the reconstruction and development of Somalia, but has also improved human rights in the country, he said.

"By supporting Somalia in key infrastructure development, providing humanitarian assistance, and investing in human capital and strengthening its governance capacity in particular, China is improving Somalia's capacity to reduce poverty and protect human rights for its people," he said.