The State Council Information Office released the country's fourth human rights action plan on Thursday, mapping out specifically what China will do in the next five years to better protect a range of rights Chinese citizens are entitled to according to the Constitution.

The development of human rights is a dynamic process that is always evolving. When people are struggling to survive, the most urgent human rights challenge is guaranteeing them the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter.

That is what China has done over the past more than four decades. The elimination of abject poverty nationwide, which was realized by the end of 2020, marked a milestone in the development of human rights in the country. And as China has demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government strives to protect the life and dignity of citizens at all times, normal or emergency. Of course, efforts have been made at the same time to provide legal guarantees for the protection of other rights such as the right to property, to health, to education, to culture, to a clean environment and so on.

That explains why reforms have been carried out in a wide range of areas to make sure that work will be done in a down-to-earth manner to solve the specific problems people face in these areas. That also explains why there has been an intensified crackdown on corruption to clear up the bad apples and make sure that governments at all levels will serve the needs of the people in a wholehearted manner so they can enjoy a better life.

To bridge the gap between people's ever rising expectations for a better life and the unbalanced and inadequate development is a great challenge for a country with a population of more than 1.4 billion and the country's leadership must place enough emphasis on economic development.

Common prosperity is a hot topic right now. But the manifestation of that will be detailed institutional arrangements for the redistribution of social wealth in a fairer and more reasonable manner so that more people will be able to share the fruits of the country's economic achievements.

With people's living standards continuing to improve and with the rapid development and popularization of technology, there are more challenges when it comes to the protection of human rights.

For example, people's right to their own personal information must be protected when infringements on people's personal information are frequently occurring for commercial purposes. The country has also been making efforts to promote and protect people's political rights — their rights to participate in the management of State affairs and their rights to supervise the exercise of political power.

The protection of human rights must be carried out in specific areas, which requires the implementation of specific policies to the letter.

The fourth human rights action plan heralds a higher and more comprehensive level of human rights protection in China.