Sept. 27, 2024 -- Spreading lies about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has long been a tactic employed by the United States to smear China's image and interfere in its internal affairs with the aim of destabilizing the country.
This effort has intensified over the past several years with the US and its allies pointing a finger at China, accusing it of committing what they claim are crimes against humanity, citing fabricated stories about "arbitrary and discriminatory detention" of Uygur people. These accusations have not a shred of truth to them, and they are being increasingly rejected in the international arena, as many countries are voicing their firm opposition to Washington politicizing and weaponizing human rights.
That more than 100 countries voiced their support for China on Tuesday, refuting criticism of its human rights record by the US and a small group of other nations, during the ongoing 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, speaks volumes of the extent of failure of the US-led smear campaign against China.
Cuba, in a joint statement on behalf of around 80 cross-regional countries at the session, stressed that "respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states and noninterference in internal affairs of sovereign states represent basic norms governing international relations". "We oppose the politicization of human rights and double standards," it said. Other countries that voiced their support for China include Uganda, representing the Non-Aligned Movement; Venezuela, speaking for the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter; and Gambia, representing the African Group.
The support that China has received is mainly due to the progress it has made in human rights protection. Xinjiang, for example, now enjoys social stability, economic growth, solidarity among all ethnic groups and harmony among various religious beliefs. The legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are fully protected, and what China has achieved in advancing human rights is there for all unbiased people to see.
Yet some China hawks in Washington have chosen to turn a blind eye to these realities, and have been consistently attacking and smearing China's governance of Xinjiang and other minority ethnic groups-inhabited areas under the pretext of human rights. Democrats and Republicans are reportedly stepping up pressure on the Joe Biden administration to strengthen its stand on what they claim is "China's oppression" of the Uygur people.
This week, Ritchie Torres, a congressman from New York, sent a sharply worded letter to Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, chastising the administration for failing to deliver a report on China's treatment of the Uygurs. And on Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a Republican-led measure that attempts to force the Joe Biden administration to prohibit contacts with Chinese officials involved in the "oppression" of the ethnic group.
The US government passed the "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" in 2021, which imposed sanctions on China on the false pretext of human rights violations.
If the US is so concerned about the human rights of Muslims, why does it continuously provoke or support wars in the Middle East, which have caused numerous innocent Muslim casualties? Why does it turn a blind eye to the historical injustices faced by the Arab people and not support Palestine in becoming a full member of the United Nations? These questions, as raised by Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday in New York, are revealing when it comes to the real purpose of Washington perpetually beating the human rights drum.
The support China has received on the issue shows the US is flogging a dead horse. Washington should stop politicizing a cause that calls for mutual respect, mutual assistance and cooperation of countries.
