China has witnessed great progress in its cause of human rights since the founding of the People's Republic of China, said State Councilor Dai Bingguo, adding that no nation is perfect on the issue of human rights. Dai made the remarks during the strategic dialogue within the framework of the fourth-round China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogues. "China will continue advancing on the right path it has chosen to make the Chinese people live happier and more dignified lives and make society fairer and more harmonious," said Dai. He said that the issue of human rights should neither be a hindrance for state-to-state relations, nor be used as an excuse to interfere in the domestic affairs of other nations.

He pointed out that the most fundamental way of managing state-to-state relations is to abide by the basic norms governing international relations, namely, to respect each other's sovereignty, core interests and choice of social system and development path. "This is particularly important for relations between major countries," Dai said. "The 1.3-billion Chinese people have the right to take a development path different from that of the United States and other Western countries, a path that truly suits China's national conditions and benefits not only the Chinese people but also the whole world," he added. No one should expect Chinese people to leave their own path, he said.