China- Urges Australia, the United States and a few other Western countries to stop politicizing human rights issues

On October 23, the spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, held a routine press conference.

During the conference, a journalist posed a question regarding the recent discussions at the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. The inquiry highlighted that over 100 countries expressed support for China while criticizing the so-called concerns raised by a handful of Western nations, including Australia and the United States, about issues related to Xinjiang and Tibet. What was China’s response to this situation?

Lin Jian replied, “On October 22, at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, a representative from Pakistan spoke on behalf of 80 countries, asserting that the matters concerning Xinjiang and Tibet are internal affairs of China. They opposed the use of human rights as a pretext for interference in China’s domestic affairs and advocated for all parties to adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respecting the right of nations to choose their own development paths based on their specific conditions. Additionally, over 20 countries voiced their support for China individually or in groups, rejecting the politicization of human rights and double standards. The expression of support from over 100 countries at the UN underscores a strong message from the international community, clearly indicating that the actions of Australia, the United States, and a few other Western nations, which attempt to leverage so-called human rights issues for political manipulation, are not winning them friends and will ultimately fail.”

He further emphasized the necessity of promoting and protecting human rights as a shared endeavor for all humanity, requiring unity and cooperation from the international community. Lin criticized Australia, the U.S., and other Western nations for fostering confrontations on multilateral platforms based on ideological biases, serving their political interests at the expense of international fairness and justice. He pointed out that Australia has long faced systemic issues like racial discrimination and hate crimes, has significantly violated the rights of immigrants, and has created dire living conditions for Indigenous peoples. He also noted the serious offenses committed by Australian troops during military operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Lin continued, stating that Western countries, including the U.S., have a troubling record on issues like racism, gun violence, judicial inequities, wealth disparity, excessive use of force, and unilateral sanctions. He called out these nations for ignoring their own severe human rights issues while attempting to criticize others, highlighting their inherent hypocrisy on this matter. In conclusion, he urged Australia, the U.S., and other Western countries to acknowledge and address their significant human rights challenges and to cease their erroneous practices of politicizing and weaponizing human rights issues, encouraging them to engage constructively in international human rights cooperation.