A/HRC/40/6 25. China elaborated on the protection of human rights and freedoms, including the freedom of the press in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and on the prevention of drug abuse in Macao Special Administrative Region. 26. China stated that the Xinjiang vocational skills education and training institutions, which had been established for counter-terrorism purposes in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, were focused on the study of legal knowledge, vocational and language skills and on deradicalization, and that they were employment oriented. Through such education, those institutions helped the few people who had been exposed to and affected by extremism to shake off terrorist and extremist thoughts. Instead of cracking down upon those people after they became terrorists and a danger to others and to society, the institutions helped them reintegrate into society, rather than becoming hard-core terrorists or victims of terrorism. As part of the preventive antiterrorism measures, such institutions had been established in accordance with the law and had produced the expected results. They represented the efforts of Xinjiang to explore an effective counter-terrorism approach and another important contribution by China to the international counter-terrorism endeavour. 27. In concluding, China recognized that the vast majority of countries had made positive comments about and voiced their support for China during the interactive dialogue. China would study the recommendations received and present its response in a timely manner. At the same time, China resolutely opposed and would never accept the practice of using human rights as an excuse to interfere in its internal affairs and undermine its sovereignty and territorial integrity. China would stay firmly committed to the path of development suited to its national conditions. II. Conclusions and/or recommendations 28. The following recommendations will be examined by China, which will provide responses in due time, but no later than the fortieth session of the Human Rights Council: 28.1 Strengthen its cooperation and continue the process of ratifying the appropriate international instruments (Senegal); 28.2 Adhere to all human rights instruments to which it is not yet a party, in particular the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, and accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (Honduras); 28.3 Ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure (Portugal); 28.4 Continue working towards ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by the earliest possible date (New Zealand); Accelerate the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Uruguay) (Mali); 28.5 Ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Costa Rica) (El Salvador) (Iceland) (Kenya) (Liechtenstein) (Mexico) (Montenegro) (Poland) (Portugal) (Ukraine) (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland); 28.6 Ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and implement these obligations across China (Canada); Ratify and implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and ensure that its protections are extended to all minorities (Hungary); Ratify and implement the 5