Analyzing China’s Human Rights: U.N. Deliberations Highlight Concerns
On Tuesday, China faced international criticism at the UN for its human rights record, drawing attention from the US, the UK, and several other nations. Western nations chastised Beijing at the review conference on Tuesday over its treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang and its limitations in Hong Kong. Non-Western governments concurred with China’s assertions that it had advanced in several domains.
Historical Context
At a United Nations five-yearly assessment, China’s human rights record drew criticism and support, displaying a clear division. This is the first assessment since a 2022 report by the UN’s top rights commissioner suggested that detaining Uighurs and other Muslims in the Xinjiang area would constitute crimes against humanity. Numerous nations that are economically reliant on China or are smaller in size have complimented China’s human rights record, particularly its ability to pull tens of millions of people out of poverty since 2018.
Political Repression And Freedom of Expression
For the U.N. Human Rights Council’s “universal periodic review,” a group from over 20 Chinese ministries was led by Chen Xu, China’s ambassador in Geneva. He emphasized China’s achievements in ending poverty, claimed people participate in “democratic elections,” and guaranteed protection for the right to practice any religion. Through an interpreter, Chen stated, “China upholds respect for and protection of human rights as a task of importance in state governance.”
We have started along a human rights development road that is suited to China’s national circumstances, current trends, and purportedly historic accomplishments in this process. “Our goal is to improve everyone’s quality of life by upholding the people-centered philosophy,” he stated. A record-breaking 160 countries registered to participate in the conversation, some of them Beijing’s supporters and others of them its detractors. This meant that each nation could only speak for a maximum of 45 seconds, which at times made the ambassadors’ speeches seem like speed reading exercises.
Treatment of Minorities
“We increasingly hear Chinese government rhetoric in the recommendations made by governments, I think indicating a level of control over the process or influence over the process, and that’s problematic,” said Sophie Richardson, a former Human Rights Watch director for China, following the UN session. China was asked to stop “enforced disappearances targeting human rights defenders, ethnic minorities, and Falun Gong practitioners,” by Canadian Ambassador Leslie Norton. Falun Gong is an ascetic organization. China must end “the criminalization of religious and peaceful civil expression,” as well as “cross-border kidnappings and intimidating Chinese citizens living abroad,” according to Czech Ambassador Vaclav Balek. The ambassador of Slovenia, Anita Pipan, suggested that China “institute a moratorium on the death penalty.”
International Cooperation
Chinese dissidents, along with activists from Hong Kong, Tibet, and the Uighurs, were to stage a demonstration outside the UN headquarters. During the summit on Tuesday, a number of nations were concerned about China’s practices in Xinjiang. The area, along with Tibet, has come to symbolize Beijing’s oppressive human rights policies, especially with regard to minorities of color and religion.
Human rights advocates claimed that the inclusion of multiple nations mentioning Tibet in this year’s evaluation reversed a previous trend in which the region has not received much attention from other countries. A comprehensive examination of China’s human rights status was provided during the hearing. Iran applauded China’s “national action plan for human rights,” Bolivia’s ambassador complimented China’s efforts to lessen deforestation, and Burundi’s official asked China to enhance access to healthcare in core areas and improved housing in Hong Kong and Macao.
Response From China
The prosecution of Jimmy Lai, a former Hong Kong publisher accused of violating national security, should stop, according to the U.K. Ambassador Simon Manley, and the forced return of North Koreans who escaped into China should also end.
The rights of minorities in Tibet and the Xinjiang area in northwest China need to be adequately protected, according to Kozo Honsei, Japan’s deputy permanent representative in Geneva. “We condemn the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and transnational repression to silence individuals abroad,” U.S. Ambassador Michele Taylor said, wrapping up a litany of concerns.
At the end, no U.N. body has confirmed that China is committing genocide against the minority Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang, despite accusations to that effect from the United States and several independent groups. China retaliated over a 2022 report that mentioned potential crimes against humanity in the area and was written by the U.N.’s then-human rights head.
