The UN Human Rights Council refuses to discuss China, a setback for the United States

This content was published on October 06, 2022 – 12:47 pm

06 October 2022 – 12:47

(AFP)

The United States and its allies suffered a setback at the UN Human Rights Council, which on Thursday refused to discuss the situation in China, following intense pressure from Beijing.

A dozen countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, had asked the Council to organize a debate on the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China, where Beijing is accused of crimes against humanity.

But the draft decision was rejected with 19 votes against, 17 in favor and 11 abstentions.

China has received the support of its traditional allies, such as Cuba and Venezuela, but also of Pakistan and Indonesia, two great Muslim countries, as well as African countries.

This is the first time in the history of the Human Rights Council, established in 2006, that a draft decision refers to China.

The outcome of the vote was very uncertain. Hours before the vote, Westerners had already made it known that they were not ruling out a defeat.

“China’s attempts to prevent the debate and hide the truth will be unsuccessful,” British Ambassador Simon Manley said on Twitter.

The vote of African council member countries was highly anticipated, due to China’s growing influence on that continent.

China, which has invested heavily in Africa in recent years, especially in infrastructure and the exploitation of its raw materials, has become the main creditor of some African countries.

During discussions in the Council on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador Chen Xu denounced the “politicization” of the Human Rights Council, comparing the draft decision to a “typical example of manipulation”.

The draft decision comes after the publication on August 31 of a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Xinjiang, which mentions possible “crimes against humanity” and “credible evidence” of torture and sexual violence and calls for to the international community to act.

China has vehemently rejected these accusations, accusing the UN of becoming “the henchman and accomplice of the United States and the West”.