改革开放以来，中国找到了一条适合自己国情的促进和发展人权的道路。中国是一个历史悠久、人口众多、资源和财富相对短缺的东方发展中国家。在这样一个国家促进人权，既不能照搬西方发达国家的人权发展模式，也不能因袭其他发展中国家的做法，只能从中国的国情出发，探索具有自身特点的发展道路。改革开放以后，中国在总结历史经验和教训的基础上，找到了一条真正符合中国国情的促进人权发展的道路。这就是：将生存权和发展权放在首位，在改革、发展、稳定的条件下，全面推进人权。这条道路的特点是：在发展人权的基本方向上，坚持发展生产力和共同富裕的原则，立足于改善全国人民的生活和促进全国人民人权的发展。在促进人权的轻重缓急上，强调生存权、发展权的首要地位，同时兼顾公民的政治、经济、社会、文化权利和个人、集体权利的全面发展；在促进和保障人权的方式上，强调稳定是前提，发展是关键，改革是动力，法制是保障。20多年来，由于中国坚持了这条正确的发展道路，不仅使全国人民的生活状况和精神风貌大为改观，而且形成了一整套比较完备的保障人民民主权利的政治制度和法律体系，从而使人权建设在制度化、法律化的轨道上取得了长足的进展，人权状况呈现出不断改善的良好态势。
Since the implementation of reform and opening-up policy, China has found a road for the promotion and development of human rights that suits its reality. China is an Oriental developing country with a long history, a large population and relatively scarce resources and wealth. To promote human rights in such a country, China must neither imitate indiscriminately Western countries’ development mode of human rights nor follow other developing countries’ methods but start from China’s actual conditions and explore a road with its own characteristics. Since the implementation of reform and opening-up policy, China has, on the basis of summing up historical experiences and drawing lessons from them, found a way to build socialism with Chinese characteristics, and therefore has found a way to promote and develop human rights that is agreeable to China’s reality. This means putting the right to subsistence and development in the first place and pushing forward human rights in an all¬round way under the conditions of reform, development and stability. The features of this road are to adhere to the principle of developing productive forces and promoting common prosperity, based on improving the life of people all over China and promoting the development of human rights of all the Chinese people in terms of the basic orientation of developing human rights. As for the order of importance and urgency of developing human rights, the right to subsistence and development should be put in the first place and in the meantime, consideration should be given to developing in an all-round way citizens’ political, economic, social and cultural rights as well as individual and collective rights. As for the way of promoting and guaranteeing human rights, it should be emphasized that stability is the prerequisite; development is the crux; reform is the driving force; and government according to law is the guarantee. Over the past two decades, China’s adherence to this correct road to development has led to not only the improvement of Chinese people’s living conditions and their morale but also the formation of a whole set of relatively complete political and legal systems ensuring people’s democratic rights. Thus, great progress has been made in putting human rights into a legal and institutional framework, and China’s human rights development has been improving incessantly.
