China has condemned the use of the United Nations (UN) as a platform for a virtual event;on the repression of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang.
The spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, in a press conference intimated;that the planned event was an insult to the institution.
She also urged UN member states not to attend the virtual event scheduled for Wednesday, 12th May. It was planned by Germany, the United States and Britain.
“The U.S. has banded up with several countries, abused the United Nations’ resources and platform,;and smeared and attacked China to serve its own interests. This is total blasphemy against the United Nations”.
Hua also noted that the organizers of the virtual UN event use “human rights issues as a political tool to interfere in China’s internal affairs”.
Some Western states and rights groups have accused authorities in Xinjiang of detaining, torturing and committing genocide against Uyghurs in detention camps. Several countries have introduced measures including sanctions as a result of these accusations. The US, for instance, has also banned the import of cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang over allegations of forced labour.
However, Beijing denies the accusations and describes the camps as vocational training centres to combat religious extremism.
China denounces US appeal for Taiwan to join WHO meeting
The Chinese government also criticized US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken for urging the World Health Organization to invite Taiwan to participate in a meeting this month.
This comes after Blinken released a statement on 7th May, supporting Taiwan’s participation in the next World Health Assembly. His statement echoed a similar joint appeal by foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) major economies last week, expressing their support for Taiwan’s participation in WHO forums and the World Health Assembly.
Addressing the issue, Hua Chunying, said Blinken’s appeal “seriously violates the ‘one-China principle’” and joint US-Chinese declarations.
“China firmly deplores and rejects it,” she added.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and insists that the Island has no right to conduct foreign relations or join global bodies. The two sides have extensive trade ties but no official relations.
The United States and other major governments also have no official ties with Taiwan. But Washington and some others have expressed growing support for Taiwan during the coronavirus pandemic.
Blinken called Taiwan a “force for good in the world” and said the Island should be invited as an observer at the meeting of the World Health Assembly, the WHO decision-making body. He said it could make “valuable contributions” as the world tries to end the pandemic.
Hua, however, accused Washington of making the appeal “for political purposes.” She said it is “detrimental to future global response to public health crises.”
Hua also noted that Taiwan is part of China’s “core interests”, and there is “no room for compromise.”
“China has no room for compromise on this. We advise individual countries to immediately stop hyping Taiwan-related issues.”
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