China received a grilling on Wednesday over its human rights record as a two-day hearing opened at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, with rights advocates raising issues such as relocations from Tibet, COVID-19, reprisals against human rights defenders and a security law that sparked protests in Hong Kong.
With advocates of China’s Uighur minority demonstrating outside, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Chen Xu (陳旭) and a delegation of about 40 envoys from China, Hong Kong and Macau faced questions from the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The six-hour hearings mark the first time a Chinese delegation has traveled to answer to a UN body in Geneva, Switzerland, since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, UN officials said.
Photo: EPA
In his opening remarks, Chen listed Chinese accomplishments, including poverty alleviation, education, longer life spans in China and support for other countries.
“No one can claim a perfect record in human rights protection, as there is always room for improvement. China still faces multiple problems and challenges in promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights,” including “glaringly unbalanced” development and “stumbling blocks” in some areas of reform, Chen said.
He cited problems in areas such as education, employment, medical care, housing and the environment.
The hearing was built around questions from submissions from about 20 non-governmental groups, and conducted by independent experts working with the UN who make up the committee, which aims to help countries uphold their commitments under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The committee’s rapporteur on China Michael Windfuhr laid out questions on issues as diverse as discrimination, access to lawyers and assurances that Chinese multinational firms would not undermine human rights abroad.
“Dealing with China in six hours devoted to a state review is a challenge for the committee,” he said. “The committee will therefore prioritize the most pressing human rights issues under the covenant.”
He asked how many organizations have been classified as having endangered national security under the contested National Security Law in Hong Kong, and how China would improve transparency in the sharing of data about COVID-19 with the international community.
However, Hong Kong officials, speaking in English, insisted that the security law has specific provisions for respecting human rights, particularly in the context of some trade union activities, which they considered to have contravened the law and had nothing to do with labor rights.
“The Hong Kong [Special Administrative Region] government is dedicated to defend and protect the lawful rights and freedom of association in Hong Kong,” Hong Kong Labor Department Assistant Commissioner Cheung Hoi-shan (張凱珊) said.
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