GENEVA (AP) 鈥 Western countries used a regular U.N.-backed review of China's human rights record Tuesday to press Beijing to do more to allow freedom of expression, protect the rights of ethnic minorities and to repeal a national security law in Hong Kong that troubles independent activists.
China's ambassador in Geneva, Chen Xu, led a delegation from some 20 Chinese ministries for the 鈥渦niversal periodic review鈥 conducted under the U.N. Human Rights Council. He stressed China's progress in poverty eradication, said citizens engage in 鈥渄emocratic elections鈥 and gave assurance that freedom of religious belief is safeguarded.
鈥淐hina upholds respect for and protection of human rights as a task of importance in state governance," Chen said through an interpreter. "We have embarked on a path of human rights development that is in keeping with the trend of the times and appropriate to China鈥檚 national conditions and so-called historic achievements in this process.鈥
鈥淲e uphold the people-centered philosophy and strive to deliver a better life for all the people,鈥 he said.
An extraordinarily high number of more than 160 countries 鈥 some critics of Beijing, some allies 鈥 registered to take part in the discussion. That meant each country had a maximum of 45 seconds to speak, forcing some ambassadors into what at times felt like a speed-reading exercise.
China鈥檚 delegation had a total of 70 minutes to make its case.
The review process, which encourages constructive recommendations over sharp criticism, nevertheless gave way to firm, if not scathing, advice to China from some leading Western countries, while some of China's friends rallied to its defense.
Ambassador Leslie Norton of Canada urged China to end 鈥渆nforced disappearances targeting human rights defenders, ethnic minorities and Falun Gong practitioners.鈥 Falun Gong is a spiritual movement.
Czech Ambassador Vaclav Balek said China needed to stop 鈥渢he criminalization of religious and peaceful civil expression鈥 and 鈥渃ross-border kidnappings and intimidating Chinese citizens living abroad." Slovenian Ambassador Anita Pipan recommended that China 鈥渆stablish a moratorium on the death penalty. 鈥
U.K. Ambassador Simon Manley called for a halt to the prosecution of Jimmy Lai, a former Hong Kong publisher who is on trial for alleged national security violations, and an end to the who fled into China.
Kozo Honsei, Japan鈥檚 deputy permanent representative in Geneva, called for better protection of the rights of minorities in and northwestern China's region. U.S. Ambassador Michele Taylor presented a list of concerns, concluding with, 鈥淲e condemn the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and transnational repression to silence individuals abroad.鈥
Some and the United States have accused China of genocide against minority Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang, but no U.N. bodies have affirmed that. China lashed out at a 2022 citing possible crimes against humanity committed in the region.
The hearing offered a wide-ranging look at the human rights situation in China. Bolivia's envoy commended China's efforts to reduce deforestation, Burundi's representative urged China to improve access to health care in central regions and to better housing in Hong Kong and Macao, and Iran praised China's 鈥渘ational action plan for human rights.鈥
First secretary Ilia Barmin of Russia's diplomatic mission advised China 鈥渢o consistently improve the understanding and capacity of citizens to use standard spoken and written Chinese in Xinjiang.鈥
Many developing-world countries praised China's policies on issues like poverty reduction and economic development policies while also offering suggestions to Beijing. Frankye Bronwen Levy, political affairs counselor for South Africa, called on China to strengthen an anti-domestic violence law passed eight years ago.
Hilary Power, the Geneva director of Human Rights Watch, called it 鈥渦tterly shameful鈥 that many countries opted to 鈥渦se their platform at the U.N.鈥檚 top human rights body to praise Beijing鈥檚 rights record, or stay silent in the face of well-documented grave crimes.鈥
The 鈥渦niversal periodic review鈥 puts all U.N. member states up for scrutiny 鈥 at times sharp 鈥 by other countries roughly every five years. The 3 1/2-hour discussion aims to offer constructive criticism and to yield a written report with recommendations. On Monday, .
At China鈥檚 last review in 2018, the United States and other countries about its treatment of Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Groups that included Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs and pro-Tibet activists held small demonstrations outside the U.N. Geneva compound during Tuesday鈥檚 discussion. Inside, roughly 100 activists from nongovernmental groups attended the session or watched it from a 鈥渟pillover room鈥 in the vast complex, officials said.
Another advocacy group sent representatives to speak out against the forced repatriation from China of women from who fled the nation under leader Kim Jong Un's rule.
