The Confucionist Tradition and Human Rights in China.

Human rights hold a central position in contemporary international law, frequently discussed from various perspectives. This article offers a critical analysis of human rights through a decolonial lens, challenging their universalist construction, historically rooted in Western values such as liberalism and individualism, and often employed as a tool of power by hegemonic nations. Using a bibliographic review and a deductive methodology, the study is structured into three parts: first, it explores the historical development of human rights in the West and their limitations as a universal paradigm; second, it revisits Confucianism as a classical Chinese philosophy focused on collective well-being and social harmony; finally, it examines contemporary Chinese public policies, which demonstrate a distinct and contextualized approach to human rights. The article concludes that China's experience exemplifies a viable counter-hegemonic alternative by integrating its traditional philosophy with modern strategies, achieving remarkable outcomes such as the eradication of extreme poverty and sustainable socioeconomic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]