Delegates from China and 27 African countries, including Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Togo, Ghana, the Central African Republic, Zambia and South Africa, discussed human rights issues at a seminar held in Beijing from Oct. 18 to 20.

The seminar on human rights issues was the first of its kind held by the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, established in a ministerial conference in Beijing in October 2000. The Forum is a collective consultation and dialogue mechanism between China and African countries, according to sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The seminar focused on human rights and sovereignty, human rights protection in judicial practice and international human rights cooperation.

Addressing the seminar, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang thanked the African friends for helping China to win over western countries' anti-China proposals in eleven successive United Nations human rights conferences.

"The seminar itself shows the willingness and determination of China and African countries to expand their all-round cooperation," Shen said, noting both China and African countries are developing countries, and share common grounds in terms of fundamental interest and basic stance in human rights issues.

He expressed his hope that through the seminar, the two sides will expand consensus in human rights issues, further coordinate their stances on international human rights field and push forward their own human rights level as well as international human rights causes.

Another Assistant Foreign Minister Lu Guozeng said China and African countries are facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges, expressing hope the two sides will implement follow-up projects of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum.

African delegates said they value relations with China as well as the role of China-Africa Cooperation Forum. The civilian, political, economic, social and cultural rights should be equally respected, and different countries have their rights to adopt different human rights measures according to their national conditions, they said.

All delegates agreed that the international society should continue their human rights cooperation in line with the UN Charter.