China wants countries to praise its human rights record ahead of UN review

The Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday expressed its desire for a “constructive” and “non-politicised” approach from all parties involved in the United Nations examination of China’s human rights record. According to a Reuters report on Monday, citing diplomats and documents, China has been actively seeking support from non-Western nations to commend its human rights practices in preparation for a forthcoming UN group’s meeting where China anticipates facing inquiries and criticism regarding its actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. “China upholds a people-centered human rights philosophy and has made historic progress in human rights issues,” Reuters quoted Wang Wenbin, a ministry spokesperson, as saying when asked about what the diplomats said. The UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group will examine China’s human rights record in a meeting in Geneva. China is one of 14 states to be reviewed by the UPR working group between 22 January and 2 February. “I want to stress that China always does its work in participating in the UPR according to UN procedures,” Wang told Reuters. Tuesday’s review will be the first since the UN’s top rights official released a report in 2022 saying the detention of Uyghurs and other Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity. China denies any abuses. “The Universal Periodic Review is an important platform under the UN framework for fair and candid exchanges, constructive dialogue and cooperation on human rights issues,” Wang said. “We hope that all parties in their participation in the review will follow the UPR mechanism’s principle of being constructive and non-politicised.” China’s human rights record was previously reviewed by the UPR in 2009, 2013 and 2018. With inputs from agencies