The "National Human Rights Action Plan," the first-ever such document to be issued and approved by the cabinet, promised Chinese citizens more legal protection, better livelihoods and greater political rights.

"The realisation of human rights in the broadest sense has been a long-cherished ideal of mankind and also a long-pursued goal of the Chinese government and people," it said.

"Governments and government departments at all levels shall make the action plan part of their responsibilities, and proactively implement it."

Rights groups said it was encouraging the government had made the effort to put the document out, but noted that similar pledges had been made before with little change.

The 52-page plan acknowledged problems in the current system, but pointed out China was a developing country.

"China still confronts many challenges and has a long road ahead in its efforts to improve its human rights situation," said the plan, announced through the official Xinhua news agency.

It vowed to improve social security, health care, unemployment and wages, while pledging to safeguard a wide range of rights ranging from education to a clean environment.

The plan also said China's communist rulers would allow greater democracy, while urging officials to better listen to criticism from ordinary citizens and the media.

"The state will guarantee citizens' rights to criticise, give advice to, complain of, and accuse state organs and civil servants," it said.

However, China's leaders have repeatedly stated that China will not adopt Western-style democracy, and the document gave no signal that this policy would change or that it would loosen controls on the state-run media.

The document also pledged to crack down on government corruption and police brutality, especially prison beatings, illegal detention and torture.

The plan comes ahead of the anniversary of the crushing of the Tiananmen Square democracy protests on June 4, 1989, when troops killed hundreds if not thousands of unarmed citizens.

China's rulers have insisted the crackdown ensured 20 years of political stability that allowed spectacular economic growth.

But while the country has undoubtedly enjoyed many benefits of the economic boom, human rights problems continue to flare.

Domestically, a recent spate of deaths in custody has thrown the spotlight on alleged police brutality, while tens of thousands of protests occur each year over a vast array of grievances.

Internationally, China's communist rulers have faced pressure from vocal critics and some foreign governments over its treatment of minority groups in Tibet and Xinjiang, high rates of executions and the jailing of dissidents.

Joshua Rosenzweig, of the Dui Hua Foundation, a US-based group that monitors China's human rights, said Beijing had vowed to improve its rights record for years but routinely failed to implement protections enshrined in its own laws.

"I don't see enough in there to convince me things will be that different in terms of their ability to actually implement these goals," Rosenzweig told AFP.

"The proof in China is always going to be in the implementation and that is where the problem lies."

Phelim Kine, a Hong Kong-based researcher with Human Rights Watch, said the lack of participation by the Chinese police in the drafting of the plan was a worry.

"We were concerned that the agencies that are most responsible for rights abuses were not at the table when it was drafted," Kine told AFP.

"This is a huge weakness, you need them on board if this is going to be meaningful."

China published a list of government departments and institutions involved in drafting the plan, but it did not mention the police.

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