The message was read by Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, at the forum’s opening ceremony.

The important thoughts on building a community with a shared future for humanity proposed by Xi offered Chinese wisdom and solutions toward a more fair and reasonable global human rights governance, said Huang, who also heads the publicity department of the CPC Central Committee.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who also addressed the opening ceremony, said China’s practice shows there is more than one way to protect human rights, and China respects other countries in choosing on their own paths of development and ways to protect human rights.

China has helped more than 800 million people escape poverty and provided jobs for 770 million people, according to Wang.

Yldiz Deborah Pollack-Beighle, foreign minister of Suriname, said the thought of building a community with a shared future for humanity reflects the shared aspiration of most countries and serves the common interests of the international community.

Human rights should not be politicized and discussed in a confrontational manner, she said, adding that the forum “brings together a group of like-minded countries and experts at an important juncture in time to enter into a new era of the human rights landscape”.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn