UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to China; a good step in the right direction

 

By Staff Writer

The visit by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to China on May 23-28, can be regarded as the right step in the right direction, given the fact that in the last 17 years, no such visit by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has ever taken place.

Western countries have made it a habit to criticize China’s human rights record while sitting in their capitals without caring to visit China and see with their own eyes if the claims made are true or simply politically motivated misinformation. It is from such perspective that one can understand why some western countries were not happy with Michelle Bachelet visit to China, and their efforts to disrupt the high commissioners visit were futile. It is simply because, it exposed the western lies about Xinjiang and other false claims of human rights violations by China.

China has always refuted the so called “Xinjiang report” as meant to smear and attack China.  Michelle Bachelet visited Xinjiang and held discussion with various leaders who briefed her China’s policies on ethnic and religious affairs, as well as the measures and results of counter-terrorism and de-radicalization. She visited the Kashgar Ancient Town, as well as the  cotton fields, and witnessed for herself how China promotes minority tradition but most important, the improvement of  the standard of living of the local people.  

President Xi Jinping held a virtual meeting with UN High Commissioner for human rights Bachelet, where he clarified China’s human rights development in the context of China’s history and culture. Xi also emphasized that the CPC takes serious its mission of   pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.  “The people’s aspiration for a better life is what we are striving for, Xi stressed, further mentioning that the Chinese people now enjoy fuller and more extensive and comprehensive democratic rights.

In the meeting with Bachelet, President Xi Jinping identified four priority areas to work on, which are: putting people’s interests as the fundamental purpose and goal and strive to deliver a better life to the people, respecting different countries’ paths of human rights development, supporting countries to explore suitable paths of human rights development in light of national realities and people’s needs, as well as  stepping up global human rights governance.

The Chinese authorities have always blamed western countries for fabricating sensational lies using human rights card about Xinjiang as a political tool to contain China. “Xinjiang is not at all a human rights issue, but a major issue concerning upholding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” Chinese authorities say.

Chinese authorities made it clear to UN Human Rights Commissioner, that their country attaches great importance to the UN human rights affairs and always ready to contribute to advancing the international human rights cause. China has signed 29 international human rights instruments and is widely recognized as a role model in implementing conventions.

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