AFP: Yesterday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on China to implement the recommendations made by his Office and asked China to stop the law, policies and practices that “violate” human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet. What is China’s response?
Mao Ning: A happy life for the people is the most important human right. Putting the people front and center, China has worked to realize, protect and advance the fundamental interests of the greatest majority of the people. We have found a path toward better human rights that follows the trend of the times and fits our national realities and made historic achievements in the human rights cause. Currently, China’s Xinjiang and Xizang enjoy social stability, economic growth, solidarity among all ethnic groups and harmony among various religious beliefs, and the people there are living a happy life.
China stands ready to carry out dialogue and communication with the UN human rights body and other parties on the basis of mutual respect to enhance understanding, build up consensus and jointly provide positive energy for global human rights governance. In the meanwhile, we urge the UN human rights body to respect the judicial sovereignty of member states, carry out its work under the principle of impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicization, and play a constructive role in promoting the healthy development of the international human rights cause.
I would like to point out that in recent years, some Western countries have attacked and smeared China under the pretext of human rights. They have concocted a number of rumors and lies on issues related to Xinjiang and Xizang. What they did was not at all out of care for human rights, but for the purpose of holding back China’s development. Facts prove once and again that the international community has seen more and more clearly about the political agenda and double standards of the US and other Western countries behind their manipulation of human rights issues, and their rumors and lies have been rejected by more and more people.
In recent years, more than 100 countri
es have supported China’s just position on issues related to Xinjiang, Xizang and Hong Kong and opposed interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights at multilateral human rights meetings. This fully proves that the world is not blind to truth.
