BEIJING -- China's human rights status has continuously improved, a spokesman said on Human Rights Day on Wednesday.

China attaches great importance to promoting and protecting human rights and has given priority to the 1.3 billion Chinese people's rights to existence and development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

China has made great efforts to achieve economic and social development,resulting in the improvement of people's living standards. China has steadily advanced democracy and the rule of law and earnestly implemented the Constitutional principle of respecting and protecting human rights, Hong said at a regular news briefing.

The third plenary session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee last year and the fourth plenary session this October outlined China's comprehensive reform and advancing of the rule of law, again demonstrating China's confidence and will to promote and protect human rights, Hong said.

He reiterated that China supports constructive dialogue and cooperation based on an equal footing and mutual respect and has held exchanges with many countries to increase understanding and narrow differences.

China has actively participated in the human rights agenda under the UN framework and opposes politicizing human rights issues or having double standards, he said.

China has worked with other countries to deal with human rights issues in a fair, objective and non-selective manner and contributed to the development of international human rights, he added.