FALCON POWERS – During a session held by the UN Human Rights Committee in New York on Tuesday, Australia, the United States, and 13 other countries criticized China for human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet, while China responded by condemning Western nations for ignoring the “living hell” in Gaza.
The meeting of the UN General Assembly’s Human Rights Committee on Tuesday featured sharp criticisms from Australia, the United States, and a group of Western countries against China for its treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang and Tibet.
Australian UN Ambassador James Larsen stated, “We urge China to fulfill its international obligations and implement UN recommendations, including the release of arbitrarily detained individuals and clarifying the fate of the missing.”
In response, Chinese UN Ambassador Fu Cong accused Western countries of spreading “lies to incite confrontations,” highlighting the situation in Gaza.
Fu declared, “The biggest human rights issue this year is undoubtedly the situation in Gaza.”
He criticized Australia, the US, and other Western nations for downplaying the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, describing it as a “living hell.”
Fu added that these countries turn a blind eye to this humanitarian crisis while focusing their criticisms on Xinjiang, which, according to him, “lives in peace and tranquility.”
He also pointed out that the Israeli campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, has resulted in thousands of deaths, asserting that the death toll in Gaza “should be enough to awaken the conscience of Western countries,” considering their claims of defending the human rights of Muslims to be the “biggest lie.”
Additionally, Pakistani UN Ambassador Munir Akram delivered a statement on behalf of 80 countries, affirming that issues in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet are China’s internal affairs and rejecting the politicization of human rights issues or double standards.
For her part, US Deputy Ambassador Lisa Carty emphasized that Washington calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the need for increased humanitarian aid, while reiterating condemnation of what she termed “ongoing violations” in Xinjiang and the suppression of freedoms in Tibet and Hong Kong.
In the same context, the Australian ambassador asserted that “no country has a perfect human rights record, but no country can be above international accountability.”
