ABSTRACT
In November 1991, the official view of human rights was summarized and presented in the White Paper on Human Rights in China, soon to be followed by other White Papers addressing more specific issues, such as prison conditions, the situation in Tibet, religious freedom, and so on. In the 1991 White Paper China officially and unambiguously endorsed the human rights language and praised the development of the international human rights regime. The explicit aim of the White Paper was to refute foreign criticism and present an alternative and rosy picture of the situation in China. The Chinese government has appraised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, considering it the first international human rights document that has laid the foundation for the practice of human rights in the world arena. China's human rights legislation and policies are endorsed and supported by the people of all nationalities, social strata and by all the political parties, social organizations, and all walks of life.
