Chinese Wisdom in Xi's Words: Shoes are not same; wear the ones that fit

BEIJING -- On the issue of development, China has long employed the ancient wisdom that there is no one-size-fits-all development model in the world.

The philosophy work "Treatise on Scholarship and Politics" by Qing Dynasty thinker Wei Yuan contains the saying: "People don't need to wear the same shoes; they should find what suit their feet. Governments don't have to adopt the same model of governance; they should find what benefits their people."

Chinese President Xi Jinping has, on many occasions, quoted this saying, emphasizing the importance of finding the path of development that suits a country's own national conditions.

The political system and path a country should choose depend on its national conditions, as well as its history and culture. In the same vein, there is no need to copy a rigid path for human rights development.

There is no single, unified standard for human rights development, and in judging whether a particular path works, one needs to see whether it is adapted to a country's national conditions, history and culture.

China has blazed a path of human rights development that is suited to its conditions, Xi said, adding that China's human rights cause must advance in accordance with its national conditions and the Chinese people's needs.

"There is no need to look up to the West or be judged by the West," he noted.