The country also improved its judicial system to protect people's human rights and had made the "respect and safeguard of human rights" as an important principle in its constitution.

Since the Supreme People's Court took back the power of reviewing death penalties last year, the number of capital punishment case in the country had dropped, with half changed to a reprieve in the end, official statistics showed.

China also practiced a regional ethnic autonomy system to protect ethnic minority's rights to participate in administration of state affairs and affairs of their own ethnic groups, Luo said.

The Beijing Forum on Human Rights was opened here on Monday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Over 110 representatives from 32 countries and international organizations attended the forum.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2008)