How can Chinese and Latin American civilizations enrich the universality of global human rights?

China News Service, Beijing, September 13. Question: How can Chinese and Latin American civilizations enrich the universality of global human rights?

——Exclusive interview with Ruben Don Unzueta, professor at the Catholic University of Peru

Author Li Ruohan

The third China-Latin America Human Rights Roundtable will be held in Lima, Peru. As the first institutional dialogue platform between China and Latin American countries in the field of human rights, the China-Latin America Human Rights Roundtable advocates respecting the diverse paths for realizing human rights and deepening exchanges and mutual learning.

Under different civilizations and similar historical circumstances, how can China and Latin America form a common concept of human rights? How can China and Latin America rely on their unique civilizational resources to contribute universal experience to global human rights governance? Recently, Rubén Tang Unzueta, a professor at the Catholic University of Peru, answered this question in an exclusive interview with China News Service’s “East-West Question”.

The interview transcript is summarized as follows:

Reporter from China News Service: Looking at the origin of civilization, what are the similarities and differences between the concept of rights formed by Chinese civilization and ancient Latin American civilizations and the Western human rights system?

Ruben Don Unzueta: Chinese civilization and pre-Columbian American civilization both paid more attention to community and public interests when understanding rights. Chinese tradition emphasizes the connection between people, families, and society, and native civilizations in Latin America also value land, community, and living together. In ancient Peru, for example, land and community were central to social life. Although the two civilizations of China and Latin America are far apart, there are many similarities in terms of the historical basis of the concept of rights.

The Western human rights system places more emphasis on civil liberties, political rights and personal autonomy, while the rights concepts in China and Latin America tend to understand rights from a more comprehensive perspective, that is, paying attention to economic, social and cultural rights at the same time. Individual rights protect people from power and the abuse of power, while social, economic and cultural rights enable people to truly live a life of dignity. These two types of rights can complement each other.

Furthermore, the contemporary international human rights system cannot simply be called “Western”. China participated in the drafting and discussion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, injecting Chinese philosophical thought into it. The United Nations has also recognized China's contribution in this process. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the result of multicultural negotiations, and different legal traditions together constitute today's international human rights architecture. The universality of human rights does not mean that each society can only have one way of realizing it. Different civilizations can enrich this universality based on their own historical experiences.

On June 11, the 2026·Global Human Rights Governance High-end Forum was held in Beijing. The picture shows the "National Human Rights Action Plan (2026-2030)" released at the opening ceremony. Photo by China News Service reporter Tian Yuhao

Reporter from China News Service: In modern times, China has been invaded by foreign powers repeatedly, and Latin America has been mired in the colonial system for a long time. Do similar historical experiences form the historical foundation for human rights consensus between China and Latin America?

Ruben Don Unzueta: Both China and Latin America have faced situations where sovereignty was restricted and the destiny of the country and people was affected by external forces. Such historical experience has made both sides attach great importance to life, survival, development and sovereign equality, and oppose external interference.

The history of colonization in Latin America is complex. We were colonies, but we also inherited rich linguistic, cultural and social traditions. Colonial rule caused many oppressions and injuries, but long-term historical exchanges also shaped Latin America's diverse culture today. For Latin America, an important realization brought about by the independence process is that without sovereignty, rights cannot be truly guaranteed. Therefore, human rights cannot only be imposed from the outside, but should also be constructed based on the reality of each country.

There are still many basic development needs in Latin America that have not been fully resolved. Therefore, we are very concerned about China's development experience in the past three to forty years, especially China's pragmatic side in dealing with practical problems. When facing problems such as poverty, the most important thing is to come up with solutions that can be implemented, rather than just staying at the theoretical and ideological level.

China News Service reporter: You have long been committed to academic and cultural exchanges. Is there a common spiritual experience between Chinese literature and Latin American literature? How does literature help us understand human rights?

Ruben Don Unzueta: Although Chinese literature and Latin American literature were produced in different historical environments, they both often describe people's experiences facing oppression and inequality, pay attention to the relationship between individuals and society, resist abuse of power, and pursue fairness and justice.

The situation of indigenous peoples, social class differences, poverty and human dignity have always been important themes in Latin American literature. The works of Peruvian writer José María Aguedas focus on the injustices suffered by indigenous peoples and the conflicts between different cultures. Latin American writers such as Jorge Edwards, Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda and Cesar Vallejo all deal with issues such as human suffering, social reality, independence, autonomy, memory and dignity in different ways. Literature can allow us to understand how a certain period of history affects a specific person, turning human rights from an abstract concept into a concrete life experience.

Chinese readers can feel the spiritual power of independence, autonomy, resistance to oppression and pursuit of dignity from Latin American literature, and Latin American readers can also get corresponding resonance from Chinese literature. Literature thus creates a human community that transcends national boundaries.

On November 4, 2025, local time, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Portuguese version of "The Scream" was officially released during the second Sinologist Symposium of the University of Sao Paulo. Photo by China News Service reporter Lin Chunyin

China News Service reporter: Within the framework of the Global Civilization Initiative, how can China and Latin America further deepen the dialogue between civilizations around human rights?

Ruben Don Unzueta: China and Latin America should deepen dialogue among civilizations, and both academia and all sectors of society should play a role. At the level of cultural exchanges, direct connections between people can be established through films, book expos, writers’ residencies, art exhibitions, mutual visits of teachers and researchers, and academic networks, so that both parties can understand the lives and value concerns of ordinary people.

Youth exchanges also deserve attention. Young people from Latin America, China and other countries and regions can work together around real-world issues such as poverty reduction, human rights and artificial intelligence, and universities can also play a role in finding practical solutions to specific problems.

Language learning can also deepen mutual understanding. With the development of Chinese education programs such as Confucius Institutes and other communication channels, more and more Latin Americans are truly understanding China through language. The importance of Spanish in China continues to increase, and it has gradually become an important tool for China to approach and understand Latin America at the government and public communication levels. Through the spread of language and culture, academic cooperation and direct contact, China and Latin America can more accurately understand each other's social realities.

On April 24, 2026, the "2026 Latin American and Caribbean Countries Day" press conference was held in Beijing, co-sponsored by the missions of Latin American and Caribbean countries in China. The picture shows guests visiting the cultural exhibition area of ​​various countries set up outside the venue. Photo by China News Service reporter Zhao Jun

Reporter from China News Service: Currently, human rights issues are constantly being instrumentalized by geopolitics. As an important part of the Global South, how can China and Latin America rely on civilization and historical experience to promote a more inclusive, diverse, and just global human rights governance system?

Ruben Don Unzueta: China and Latin America should form a voice from the global South, rooted in their own traditions and historical experience, and fully expressed in global human rights governance. First, strengthen the construction of the South-South human rights dialogue platform; second, when discussing human rights and related indicators, not only focus on traditional issues, but also consider factors such as development results, poverty reduction, and the environment; third, oppose double standards and require international forums to truly respect the diversity of cultural and socio-political conditions and build a more diverse, inclusive and just global human rights governance.

From Peru's perspective, we are willing to integrate into the world and hope to maintain friendly relations with all countries rather than being attached to any one party. Peru also demands that its sovereignty and international status be respected and not interfere with any country or external force. At the same time, we need to maintain a balance of open dialogue and candid criticism. A truly equal relationship should be based on mutual respect and independent judgment.

We must not only adhere to the universal rights shared by all mankind, but also recognize that these rights will acquire rich connotations due to the different historical circumstances of each country and be realized through specific paths suitable for their own national conditions. Our goal is not to judge which civilization is superior, but to better protect individual dignity through mutual learning. The upcoming Human Rights Roundtable in Lima will also contribute to this ongoing dialogue. (End)

Interviewee profile:

Ruben Don Unzueta. Photo provided by interviewee

Rubén Tang Unzueta, Peruvian. Currently, he is the director of the Asian Relations Office of the Academic Institutional Relations Office (DARI) of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), responsible for promoting cooperation, exchanges and project docking between the university and Asian universities and institutions. He founded and long-term led the PUCP Confucius Institute.