China put forward three recommendations to eliminate racism at a high-level meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva Monday. 

"First, western countries must pay adequate attention to the problem of racism and take effective measures to root out racism," said La Yifan, alternative representative of the Chinese delegation to the 61st annual session of the principal UN human rights body.

Western countries' inadequate recognition of the harm of racism and their lukewarm measures against it are the root causes for the present spread of racism, said the official.

"Second, while helping the developing countries to reduce poverty and making an effort to narrow the gap between rich and poor, the international community should also strongly advocate for racial equality and harmony as well as dialogue between different civilization," he added.

He also called on the United Nations to beef up its anti-racism work. "It had already adopted a series of measures in this regard; however, their impact and effectiveness had been hampered by various factors," he said.

La pointed out that it was extremely disappointing and regrettable that nearly four years after the World Conference Against Racism, instead of being checked, racism had manifested itself in ever-greater frequency and new forms.

It was constantly propagating itself, and without resolute counter measures, extreme forms of racism, such as new theories of racial superiority, neo-nazism and neo-fascism would once again move onto the front stage, bringing calamities to mankind, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2005)