2026年9月2日，中南大学人权研究中心研究员Peter Herrmann在China Focus发表文章《Human Rights for Development》，现将译文及全文分享如下。

　　“中国的人权观超越了单纯的个体权利和法律权利保护范畴，更加注重以人民为中心和务实的路径，并认识到在国内和国际层面对社会承担责任以及为社会负责的重要性。”

　　今天人们讨论人权时，往往从法律和政治角度出发。这并不难理解。1945年联合国的成立和1948年《世界人权宣言》的通过，标志着人类将长期以来对人的尊严和自由的理念纳入国际政治和法律框架的历史性努力。

　　然而，人权的法律维度有时会掩盖一个更根本的问题：人权的最终目的到底是什么？是为了保护个人不受侵害，还是也应当为个人和社会的发展创造应有的经济和社会条件？

　　这就引出了“西方”和“东方”两种路径的差异。西方的人权传统，很大程度上是围绕着保护个人和群体免受权力压迫和权利侵犯而发展起来的。而以中国模式为代表的东方路径，在保护个体法定权利的同时，更注重发展，着力于创造有助于人们改善生活、实现自身价值的社会、经济和政治条件。

　　两种传统，两种历史经验

　　现代西方人权观的一个重要源头，可以追溯到那些把现代个体确立为政治和法律生活核心的政治革命运动。在那之后，自由日益被理解为个人自由，即免受国家或其他权力形式的任意干涉。

　　但随着时间的推移，这种以个体为中心的观念逐渐与现代资本主义的发展结合在一起，而资本主义本身也带来了严重的不平等。追逐利润、相互竞争、以交换价值为导向，这些逻辑重塑了经济和社会关系。工人要反抗剥削，公民要抵制权力滥用，国家要抵御殖民主义和新殖民主义的压迫，各自都在挣扎中求索。

　　然而，对于那些经历过殖民统治、经济依附和普遍贫困的社会来说，它们面临的核心问题往往不同。在那里，政治主权不能与经济独立分开。自由不只关乎个人选择的保护，更是一种摆脱贫困、依附和不发达状况的集体愿望。

　　这也解释了为什么在世界许多地方，人权的发展始终与发展权紧密相连。

　　发展即人权

　　中国传统思想高度重视个人与社会之间的关系。它不把人看成孤立的个体，而是强调彼此的责任、社会的凝聚力，认为个人福祉与社会整体福祉息息相关。

　　这种观念体现在中国以人民为中心的发展方针上。早在2015年的中央扶贫开发工作会议上，中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平就指出，消除贫困、改善民生、实现共同富裕，是中国特色社会主义的本质要求，是中国共产党的重要使命。

　　从这个角度来说，扶贫不只是提高收入、减少贫困人口数量那么简单，它关乎的是“长治久安”。

　　此外，中国也一再表明，愿意积极参与全球治理，推动包容性发展，为各国特别是发展中国家创造共享发展成果的条件和机会。

　　这种路径的可贵之处在于它的务实精神，而这恰恰也是中国共产党成功的关键之一。其核心是以人民为中心的理念，这也让人权讨论有了明确而实际的方向：人权最终必须给人民的日常生活带来实实在在的改变。

　　比如，新近发布的《国家人权行动计划（2026—2030年）》，就相当注重具体行动和公共责任。由此可见，在中国共产党的领导下，各项政策深深扎根于人民的日常生活，在联合国近期发起的“全球人权联盟”倡议的基础上，拓展了人权保障的实践。当然，联合国的倡议值得肯定，但中国共产党不仅重视以理念倡导凝聚人心，更靠实际行动，并且最重要的是，通过切实增进人民福祉来培育希望、凝聚共识。

　　总而言之，中国的人权观超越了单纯的个体权利和法律权利保护范畴，更注重以人民为中心和务实的路径，并认识到在国内和国际层面对社会承担责任以及为社会负责的重要性。

　　以下为英文全文：

“China’s approach to human rights moves beyond the protection of individual and legal rights, placing greater emphasis on a people-centred and pragmatic approach and recognizing the importance of responsibility both to and for society at the national and international levels.”

Human rights are often discussed today in legal and political terms. This is understandable. The establishment of the United Nations in 1945 and the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 represented a historic effort to translate longstanding ideas about human dignity and freedom into an international political and legal framework.

Yet the legal dimension of human rights can sometimes overshadow a more fundamental question: What are human rights ultimately meant to achieve? Are they primarily about protecting individuals from violations, or should they also be about creating the social and economic conditions in which both individuals and societies can develop?

Here is a division between the “Western” approach and the “Eastern” approach. Much of the Western human rights tradition has developed around the protection of individuals and groups against abuses of power and violations of specific rights. The Eastern approach, represented by the Chinese model, places greater emphasis on development while protecting individuals’ legal rights, seeking to create the social, economic, and political conditions that enable people to improve their lives and realize their full potential.

Two traditions, two historical experiences

One important root of the modern Western understanding of human rights can be traced to the political revolutions that established the modern individual as a central subject of political and legal life. Freedom was increasingly understood as the freedom of the individual, protected from arbitrary interference by the state and other forms of power.

Over time, this individual-centered conception became closely associated with the development of modern capitalism, which also generated profound inequalities. The pursuit of profit, competition and the production of exchange value shaped economic and social relations. Workers struggled to protect themselves from exploitation, citizens struggled to protect themselves from abuses of power, and nations struggled to protect themselves from colonialism and neo-colonialism.

However, for societies that experienced colonialism, economic dependence and widespread poverty, the central questions were often different. Political sovereignty could not be separated from economic independence. Freedom was not simply a matter of protecting individual choice; it was also a collective aspiration to escape poverty, dependence and underdevelopment.

This helps explain why the development of human rights in many parts of the world has been closely connected with the right to development.

Development as a matter of human rights

The Chinese thinking has traditionally attached great importance to the relationship between the individual and society. Rather than viewing people as completely independent actors, it emphasizes mutual responsibility, social cohesion and the idea that individual well-being is closely connected with the well-being of society as a whole.

This perspective is reflected in China’s people-centered approach to development. As early as in 2015, at the Central Conference on Poverty Alleviation and Development, Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that eliminating poverty, improving living standards, and achieving common prosperity is a fundamental task for socialism and an important mission of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Seen from this perspective, poverty alleviation is not simply about increasing incomes or reducing the number of people below a poverty line. It is about “enduring harmony and stability.”

What’s more, China has emphasized its commitment to actively participating in global governance, promoting inclusive development, and creating conditions and opportunities for all countries, especially developing countries, to share in the fruits of development.

The significance of this approach lies in its pragmatism, which is also regarded as a key to the CPC’s success. At its core is a people-centred philosophy that gives the discussion of human rights a clear and practical orientation: human rights must ultimately make a meaningful difference in people’s daily lives.

The recently published National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2026-2030), for example, places considerable emphasis on concrete actions and public responsibilities. In this way, China’s policies, led by the CPC, are deeply rooted in people’s everyday lives, go beyond the recently launched Global Alliance for Human Rights, a United Nations initiative. While the initiative is certainly commendable, the CPC seeks to foster hope and solidarity not merely through words, but through concrete measures and, importantly, by actively enhancing the benefits of the people.

So, in a nutshell, China’s approach to human rights moves beyond the protection of individual and legal rights, placing greater emphasis on a people-centred and pragmatic approach and recognizing the importance of responsibility both to and for society at the national and international levels.