Xinjiang not a human rights issue, says Beijing

New Delhi on Friday called for human rights of Uighurs to be ‘respected’, after abstaining on U.N. Human Rights Council vote

File photo of a rally outside the White House against the alleged oppression by the Chinese government against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in far-western Xinjiang province. Representational image. | Photo Credit: AP

China on Saturday defended its policies in Xinjiang and said issues there were “not related to human rights”, a day after India called for the human rights of the people of the region to be “respected and guaranteed”.

India was among the countries that did not vote in favour of a West-led United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) draft resolution on Xinjiang that failed to pass this week.

Explaining why New Delhi abstained on the vote, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday cited India’s long-held view that “country-specific resolutions are never helpful”, but at the same time also called for “he human rights of the people of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region [to] be respected and guaranteed.” “We hope that the relevant party will address the situation objectively and properly,” spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing had “noted” reports on India’s abstention as well as the MEA’s statement. “I want to stress that the issues related to Xinjiang are not related to human rights and are about countering violent terrorism, radicalisation, and separatism,” Ms. Mao said. “Thanks to strenuous efforts, there was no violent terrorist incident in Xinjiang for over five consecutive years.”

Ms. Mao said the UNHRC vote in its favour had affirmed China’s position. “The voting results at the UNHRC reflect the position of the international community, especially of developing countries, in firmly rejecting the politicisation of the human rights issues,” she said.

India said it had also taken note of concerns expressed by a recent report of the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) which said China’s “arbitrary detention” of Uighurs may have constituted crimes against humanity.

Beijing slammed the report and blamed Western interference. China initially denied the mass detention of Uighurs in “re-education” camps, but later claimed the vast network of centres in Xinjiang were for “vocational training”.