Safeguarding national security, which includes the life and property of the people, is the basic duty of a responsible government, and by doing so the government protects and fosters human rights. And a major purpose of the National Security Law is to serve and protect people's fundamental interests.

According to the law, the Chinese authorities must choose the measures that are most conducive to protecting human rights when dealing with a national security threat. The law, which regulates and restricts the actions of power organs, also entitles citizens to exercise their rights and use available channels to supervise the authorities, and hold those failing their duties accountable according to the law. Al Hussein has obviously missed this bigger picture.

China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty since the late 1970s, and constantly improved citizens' livelihoods. These are remarkable contributions to the cause of human rights. China has proposed more than 190 legal reforms to protect human rights, and it is committed to promoting the rule of law. If Al Hussein has not seen these changes, he ought not have commented on the new National Security Law.

China respects the concept and value of human rights in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international documents on human rights. But it opposes the imposition of "universal" standards and models on all countries, because every country is unique in terms of its national condition, development stage, history and culture.

If the UN human rights chief uses one "ruler" to measure all UN members' human rights records, the international community will have enough reason to question his objectivity and professionalism, as well as the moral authority behind his statement.

Since the Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN, it should maintain its neutrality and independence, and prepare its statements based on facts.

Hopefully, Al Hussein and his UN colleagues will abandon their "tinted glasses", and carry out thorough and objective research and only after that pass prudent judgments on the condition of human rights in China.

The author is a researcher in law with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.