Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, attends the general debate on human rights issues held by the Third Committee of the 78th United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. (MINLU ZHANG/CHINA DAILY)
China's top envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday firmly opposed interference in the country's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights, winning support from a number of developing and friendly countries.
"China firmly opposes and rejects the continued fabrication of lies by a handful of Western countries, including the European Union, on Xinjiang- and Hong Kong-related issues, and their insistence on provoking confrontation and interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights in total disregard of the truth," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN.
"I would like to point out that the lies about China's human rights situation are totally unfounded. The so-called assessment report on China's Xinjiang is full of false information and is totally illegal and invalid. I would like to point out that politicizing human rights issues will lead to nowhere," he said at the general debate on human rights issues held by the Third Committee of the 78th United Nations General Assembly.
"Countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have turned a blind eye to and covered up their own serious human rights violations, such as racial discrimination, while pointing fingers at and making groundless accusations against developing countries. This double standard will find no support," said Zhang.
"I would like to point out that dialogue and cooperation represent the right way forward. A few countries undermine dialogue and cooperation at will, and they will only end up isolating themselves and bringing humiliation to themselves," he said.
In the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the international community "should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, protect common security and promote common development, thus further advancing the international human rights cause", said Zhang.
"We must strengthen exchanges and mutual learning and leave no room for the erroneous arguments such as 'democracy versus authoritarianism.' We must uphold fairness and justice to ensure the right direction in the promotion and protection of human rights," Zhang said.
Zhang also made a joint statement on behalf of 28 countries, including Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Russia, the state of Palestine, and Pakistan, criticizing unilateral coercive measures.
The joint statement stressed that unilateral coercive measures "run counter to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law, multilateralism, and the basic norms of international relations".
Unilateral coercive measures continue to cause "devastating, sometimes even life-threatening consequences to targeted countries and their peoples and negatively affect the enjoyment of human rights, including the right to health and the right to life. Therefore, the imposing states are called on to immediately and completely cease such practices," said Zhang.
Pakistan, on behalf of 72 countries, made a joint statement and stressed that Xinjiang-, Hong Kong- and Tibet-related issues are "China's internal affairs, and we oppose the politicization of human rights, double standards and interference in states' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights".
The joint statement delivered by Pakistan called on all parties to abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and respect the rights of people of each state to choose independently the development path suited to their own national conditions.
It further elaborated that the international community should uphold multilateralism, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, respond jointly to global challenges, and promote and protect human rights.
Venezuela, on behalf of 19 members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, also made a joint statement appealing to the international community to abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the UN, respect all states' sovereignty, and actively promote dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights.
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