GENEVA - China on Friday said countries should carry out constructive dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights. Speaking at the 36th session of the UN human rights council, China said the international community should work "hand-in-hand" but avoid naming and shaming, exerting public pressure, politicization, and double standards when it comes to human rights issues. Ma Zhaoxu, head of the Chinese Mission to UN at Geneva, said that when promoting human rights, all countries should firstly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. That means countries should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, and the path of development and social system independently chosen by their people, he said. "Second, we should carry out dialogue and exchange. Countries should respect each other and treat each other on equal footing, expand common ground and narrow differences, so as to jointly promote and protect human rights," he said. He added that countries should also pursue win-win cooperation, be committed to multi-lateralism and partnership, and conduct practical and effective cooperation to promote human rights capacity-building. According to the Chinese diplomat, it is of great importance for countries to promote human rights through poverty reduction. Ma also stressed that "we should promote human rights through development," saying that countries should be committed to people-centered development, and spare no effort in fully implementing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. "We encourage the international community to work together to engage in dialogue and cooperation on human rights, and keep the international human rights governance moving in the right direction," he concluded. wristband sportssilicone rubber bandsrubber bracelet makercustom fidgetlivestrong braceletslap wristbands
A finless porpoise is taken for a physical examination in Jiangxi province. The species has been classified as critically endangered. Recent research may provide good news about the endangered species, as Cheng Si and Liu Kun report from Wuhan. The rate of decline in the number of finless porpoises in the Yangtze River may have slowed in the past six years, according to experts in the field. Wang Ding, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Hydrobiology, said official statistics will not be released until March, but recent research may indicate positive steps in the conservation of the species, which is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, the river's environment is still deteriorating as a result of overexploitation of natural resources, while waterway regulations and water-related construction projects pose great threats to the porpoise's natural habitat, Wang said. His comments came at the end of a scientific survey of the porpoise that was launched in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Nov 11. The survey, conducted by CAS, reviewed the status of the species in the Yangtze River, its major tributaries and two lakes called Dongting and Poyang. Financed by the World Wide Fund for Nature and charities in Hubei, the 40-day survey covered 3,400 kilometers of water, from Wuchang, Hubei, to Shanghai. In 2006, a survey found that there were 1,800 finless porpoises in the wild. However, the number had fallen to 1,405 by 2012, indicating an annual rate of decline of 13.7 percent. The number is now estimated to be less than 1,000, and the ministry placed the species under the highest level of State protection in May. Freshwater species The finless porpoise, a member of the toothed whale family, is so named because it lacks a true dorsal fin. Females produce a calf once every two years, and have a gestation period of 10 to 11 months. The species makes both high-and low-frequency tones and uses ultrasound to communicate.
