The Human Rights Action in China · 2026 Chongqing Tour hosted by China's State Council Information Office just concluded with human rights experts from 20 countries and international organizations, including Peru, Nepal, Argentina and the African Union, gathered in Southwest China's Chongqing over the past three days. Several experts praised China's exemplary role in advancing human rights through development, the Global Times reporter learned on Wednesday.

At the AVATR Digital Intelligence Factory of Changan Automobile in Chongqing, one of the stops during the visit, Mohamed Abdelrahman Mohamed Moussa, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Expatriates of Egypt, was constantly taking photos of the factory's automated facilities and intelligent production lines with his mobile phone. After the visit, he told the Global Times that the factory is "a tangible outcome of the right to development," adding that the right to development is "something that Egypt espouses very much." He further explained that when pursued, development elevates all other human rights along with it, which is why countries of the Global South have consistently stressed the importance of the right to development.

According to a report recently released by the China Society for Human Rights Studies that evaluates the progress of the Human Rights Action Plan of China (2021-25), China has promoted human rights through development and met people's growing needs for various rights.

Another human rights expert, Indira Rana, member of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, was also awed by China's practices in leveraging digital technologies to create opportunities for vulnerable groups, including the elderly, persons with disabilities, women and children, and helps ensure that no one is left behind in the development process after touring the Bayu New Public-Welfare Digital Talent Incubation Program, launched by the Chongqing Land-Sea International Communication Public-Welfare Foundation.

Adhering to the principle of leaving no one behind, the program develops public welfare digital solutions to address social challenges and equips vulnerable groups including elders and children with digital literacy skills, according to the program organizers.

Nandjede Abba Daoud, director of the foreign affairs office of the Commission of the Senate of Chad, shared his reflections during the academic seminar held at Southwest University of Political Science and Law. He said that after Chad gained independence from French colonial rule, discussions of human rights in his country largely focused on political rights, leading him to view human rights primarily as a Western concept. However, after observing life in both China's rural and urban communities during the three-day visit, he gained a deeper appreciation of China's emphasis on the right to development, which he believes is exactly what many African countries need.

Speaking with the Global Times at the end of the tour, Radhia Jerbi Ep Chiha, President of the National Union of Tunisian Women, said the experience helped her realize that "human rights are not abstract articles or resolutions, but a kind of dignified life that can be implemented in everyone's daily life." Drawing on what she had seen and heard throughout the visit, she noted that the "liberty to say or do what one wants" alone is not sufficient to fully realize human rights without economic development and improved living standards. She added that China has played an exemplary role in demonstrating a broader understanding of human rights by advancing human rights through development.

Jerbi noted China's resolution on "The Contribution of Development to the Enjoyment of All Human Rights" at the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which reflects a growing recognition among Global South countries that development is a crucial pathway to the realization of human rights.

"It's not just my own opinion, but a consensus shared by many members of the delegation," Jerbi told the Global Times. She added that the relationship between development and human rights is expected to be a key topic at the 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance, which will be held in Beijing on Thursday.