On October 22, local time, the Third Committee of the 79th UN General Assembly convened a general debate on human rights issues. During the session, the Chinese Ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, delivered a strong rebuttal to baseless accusations regarding China’s human rights situation from a few Western countries, including Australia and the United States. More than 100 countries voiced their support for China’s stance, underscoring their opposition to the politicization of human rights issues. The attempts by Australia, the U.S., and other Western nations to use human rights as a pretext to interfere in China’s internal affairs were met with isolation and condemnation.
A representative from Pakistan, speaking on behalf of 80 countries including China, emphasized that matters concerning Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet are internal affairs of China. They firmly opposed the politicization of human rights and the application of double standards and reiterated the importance of respecting national sovereignty. This unified statement from 80 nations reflected a powerful collective voice among member states.
Qatar’s representative, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council members, also expressed support for China, advocating for an objective, constructive, and depoliticized approach to human rights issues, alongside respect for national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. Mauritania’s representative similarly condemned Western nations’ politicization of human rights, calling for a respect for sovereignty and cultural history. A representative from Venezuela, representing members of the “Friends of the Charter of the United Nations” group, reiterated their opposition to the politicization of human rights and condemned the divisive actions of Western countries that interfere in other nations’ internal matters under the guise of human rights. Numerous nations took the floor individually, expressing their understanding and support for China and positively commenting on its advancements in human rights.
Ambassador Fu Cong firmly rejected the unfounded accusations from certain Western countries, insisting that the human rights crisis most deserving of the Third Committee’s attention is undoubtedly the situation in Gaza. He highlighted that Australia and the U.S.’s trivialization of conditions in Gaza, while simultaneously launching attacks on peaceful regions like Xinjiang, showcases a glaring double standard. Fu stated that the true intent of these Western countries is to use human rights as a facade to interfere in China’s domestic affairs, suppress its development, and target developing countries that adhere to independent foreign policies.
He added that if the deaths of over 40,000 civilians in Gaza and the plight of over a million women and children facing famine and displacement do not stir the conscience of Australia and the U.S., and they continue to supply weapons that take the lives of numerous Palestinian civilians, then their claims of “protecting Muslim human rights” represent the greatest hypocrisy. Fu’s statements were echoed by a coalition of 80 countries, including many Muslim nations, who expressed their clear opposition to using human rights as a means to interfere in the internal affairs of others. This further reveals the hollow nature of the attempts by Australia and the U.S. to politicize and weaponize human rights issues, as well as the failure of their strategy to contain China.
Representative Fu also spoke on behalf of 28 countries, denouncing the imposition of unilateral coercive measures by the U.S. and other Western nations. He emphasized that such measures contravene the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, undermine multilateralism, and violate fundamental norms in international relations. These actions have destructive consequences for the targeted countries and their populations, infringing upon various human rights, including the rights to health and life, and he called for their immediate and complete elimination.
The Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly serves as a primary forum for discussions on human rights and social development issues. Since 2019, the U.S. and a few other Western nations have repeatedly attacked China on human rights grounds six times, facing resolute opposition from the vast majority of nations, all of which have ended in failure.
