The 3rd Sino-German Forum for the Development of Human Rights

The delegation consisting of human rights scholars from various institutions across China held a one-day seminar with their German counterparts and visited a number of institutions in Berlin.

In the year of the 70^th anniversary of the foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the People’s Republic of China, this year’s seminar focused on the numerous aspects of human rights efforts in both countries, especially in the field of poverty alleviation, social and public security.

The Chinese Delegation was lead and organised by the China Foundation for Human Rights Development’s Vice General Secretary Mr. Qin Liang and consisted of scholars from Beijing and Renmin University, the Beijing Institute of Technology, the Southwest University for Politics and Law in Chongqing, the Chinese Academy for Social Sciences, the Diplomatic Academy of China and the CCP’s Central Party School.

During their discussions, experts from both sides agreed on the necessity to strike a balance between certain human rights interests, such as environmental protection vs. economic development or public security vs. individual freedoms. Participants highly valued the mutual insights gained during the meeting; hence, the dialogue on this central aspect of Sino-German relations is going to be continued in the coming years.

Besides the one-day event with their German colleagues, the Chinese delegation also met with FES managing director Dr. Roland Schmidt, director of the FES Asia-Pacific department Marc Saxer, former Federal Minister of Justice Dr. Herta Däubler-Gmelin and Germany’s former Ambassador to China, Dr. Volker Stanzel. Moreover, the delegation also held talks with the German Institute for Human Rights.