Throughout our history, we have never been able to meet the basic needs of all our people. There are certain wealthy countries which make the biggest noise about human rights and level the sharpest criticisms against China. All the while, they neglect their own tens of millions of people living under the poverty line, and their millions of homeless roaming the streets, even dying there. Through the system of people's congresses, the Chinese are practicing the democratic right to be the masters of their own house, helping decide important national policies. This makes for a truly sovereign state, one that possesses dignity and can stand up as an equal among the family of nations.
Some countries preach democracy and accuse China of being dictatorial.
At the same time, they support by whatever means possible a small group of persons who have broken laws and whose opinions and interests go against those of the Chinese people. They thereby set themselves against our people. In recent years, China has made bigger and bigger improvements in human rights, yet it has been increasingly criticized. Some countries have even launched motions to condemn China at the U.N. Human Rights Commission seven times in a row. The manifest unfairness and unpopularity of the moves resulted in their repeated failure, yet their instigators refuse to desist.