BEIJING -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) applies the principle of universality of human rights to China's national conditions, and has opened a new path of human rights protection, adding diversity to the concept of human rights, said a white paper issued on Thursday.

The people as the masters of the country is the basic political principle of the CPC on human rights, realized by democracy, freedom, equality and other rights, which are also important core socialist values, said the white paper on the practice of the CPC in respecting and protecting human rights.

The white paper was released by the State Council Information Office.

By developing and protecting human rights, the CPC can strengthen its leadership and better develop socialism for long-term peace, stability, and prosperity, it said.

Based on its prevailing realities, the CPC considers the rights to subsistence and development to be the primary rights, which is the secret of China's progress in human rights, the white paper noted.

The right to subsistence comes before any other right, and the right to development is closely connected to the right to subsistence, the document said, adding that the CPC believes that putting subsistence and development first and subsequently developing other rights is the only way to meet the people's expectation that their rights will be protected.

The white paper also noted that the CPC takes a people-centered approach to human rights, aims for people's well-rounded development, and is committed to building a global community of shared future.