“There was overwhelming support for China during the meeting”
As with previous waves of criticism, China rallied a group of countries to issue a response. Cuba, on behalf of 45 countries, read a statement “supporting China’s counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures in Xinjiang.”
China accused the “U.S., Germany, the U.K. and a few other countries” of making “groundless accusations and “provoking confrontation among member states” in a statement by the Chinese mission to the UN.
- “Nearly 70 countries have echoed China’s position. In support of China, Pakistan made a joint statement on behalf of 55 countries on Hong Kong, Cuba made a joint statement on behalf of 45 countries on Xinjiang, and Kuwait made a joint statement on behalf of three Gulf states. A large number of countries supported China in their national statements… There was overwhelming support for China during the meeting,” the statement claimed.
- “The U.S. and a few other countries’ attempt to smear China’s human rights record failed completely once again.”
- Zhāng Jūn 张军, China’s ambassador to the UN, suggested that instead of scrutinizing China’s Xinjiang policies, the UN should “pay attention to racial discrimination and police violence in the U.S.” and “discuss the issue and adopt a resolution on it.”
Back in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Huà Chūnyíng 华春莹 commented on the collection of back-and-forth statements at the UN, and accused a “small number of external forces” of “creating instability, division or unrest in China, and political manipulation and interference in China’s internal affairs under the cloak of Hong Kong- and Xinjiang-related issues” (English, Chinese).
What does this all mean?
Chinese diplomats have ramped up their rhetoric another notch in defending Xinjiang policy in this latest round of UN diplomacy. This makes sense, as just last month, Chinese leader Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 publicly defended his policies in Xinjiang as “completely correct.”
What we concluded from Xi’s comments then is the same conclusion now: China appears set to totally ignore international criticism, even as the condemnations get louder and include more explicit references to genocide. However, as that criticism grows, it becomes more likely that the U.S. and its allies will boycott the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Just yesterday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he would not rule out such a boycott.
The question to ask now: How many of the 39 countries signing the joint statement this week will seriously consider boycotting the Olympics?