Chinese FM spokesman rejects OHCHR's report on Xinjiang

(ECNS) -- China on Thursday rejected a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), saying the report was purely plotted by the United States and some other anti-China forces in the West.

The following is Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin's response to questions at the press conference.

ABC Spanish Daily Newspaper: Will China impose sanctions addressed personally at former High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet following the report published yesterday?

Wang Wenbin: I have just made clear China’s position. We firmly reject the OHCHR’s release of this so-called assessment which is illegal, null and void and a patchwork of disinformation.

In addition, let me also say that the mainstream of the international community opposes the release of this untrue assessment. The international community is also quite concerned about the fact that the U.S. and other Western forces have gone to great lengths to pressure the OHCHR to release this false assessment. The narrative fabricated by the U.S. and a handful of Western forces to smear Xinjiang has zero facts. It is political manipulation aimed at using Xinjiang to contain China under the pretext of human rights. Their scheme will never succeed.

I would also like to stress that the fact that this assessment, despite its illegality and zero credibility, did not go so far as to play up false allegations such as “genocide”, “forced labor”, “religious oppression” and “forced sterilization” shows that the lies concocted by the U.S. and some Western forces have already collapsed. What has happened shows that the U.S. and some Western forces are only lifting rocks for them to fall on their own feet.

Bloomberg: In the report from the OHCHR, which does mention forced labor among other things, it calls on the Chinese government to “hold the primary responsibility to ensure that all laws and policies are brought into compliance with international human rights law and to promptly investigate any allegations of human rights violations to ensure accountability for the perpetrators and to provide redress to the victims”. So my question is, will China take that action? Will China do that? Will it bring laws and policies into compliance with international human rights? Will it launch an investigation as the report calls for? Will it seek accountability for the perpetrators? Will it try to provide redress to the victims?

Wang Wenbin: I want to reiterate that the so-called assessment is a patchwork of disinformation orchestrated and produced by the U.S. and some Western forces and is completely illegal, null and void. The so-called recommendations in the assessment are purely pieced together based on disinformation to serve a political agenda. China has every reason to absolutely reject this.

What the OHCHR really needs to focus on is the human rights violations involving the U.S. and some Western forces: physical and cultural genocide of Native Americans, human trafficking from overseas for modern-day slavery and forced labor, systemic racial discrimination against minorities, deadly gun violence, serious regression of women’s rights, torture and abuse in overseas black sites, unilateral and coercive measures that jeopardize human rights in other countries, killings of civilians in overseas military operations... We ask the OHCHR to shed light on these violations, pursue accountability & release assessments. This is the responsible thing to do for the international community and the victims of these violations. 

O Globo: Could you elaborate on what you mean when you say that the report lacks credibility and is illegal? Because the OHCHR is a UN agency. Just to remind that when Michelle Bachelet was here, the U.S. also said that the visit would be used as a tool for Chinese propaganda. So I was just wondering why there is no credibility and why do you call the report illegal since it’s coming from a UN agency. 

Wang Wenbin: As I just pointed out, the OHCHR assessment is a product of the heavy pressure of some overseas anti-China forces. It’s based on their political scheme and against the principles of universality, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicization. It shows how the OHCHR has been reduced to an enforcer and accomplice of the U.S. and some Western forces in forcing the developing countries to toe their line. OHCHR’s not acting on behalf of the UN, still less the international community. China will continue to advance human rights in a way that works for China and contribute more to human rights in the world.

Bloomberg: Has China’s position been impacted by this report and will be impacted by this report? Does China still see the UN as a respected beacon of multilateralism as China has described it in several occasions over the years? So my question is, has this report and will this report impact the overall view from China of the United Nations in general? 

Wang Wenbin: As I have just made clear, the so-called assessment you mentioned can not represent the UN or the international community.