Tag: Chinese President Xi Jinping

Xinjiang Rights Abuses

50 UN Member States Condemn Xinjiang Rights Abuses In China

By LokMarg

As many as 50 members of the United Nations issued a joint statement condemning the Chinese government’s oppression of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in Xinjiang province

“We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in the People’s Republic of China, especially the ongoing human rights violations of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang,” read the joint statement of 50 countries in the UN General Assembly Third Committee on the human rights situation in Xinjiang, China.
This comes in the backdrop of a recent UN report said that the violations have taken place in the country under the garb of targeting “terrorists” among the Uyghur minority with a counter-extremism strategy that involves the use of so-called Vocational Educational and Training Centres (VETCs), or re-education camps.

A strongly-worded assessment by the UN rights office said that the extent of arbitrary detentions against Uyghur and others, in the context of “restrictions and deprivation more generally of fundamental rights, enjoyed individually and collectively, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.”

The UN members state that the release of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) assessment of human rights concerns in Xinjiang corroborates these concerns in an impartial and objective manner.

They say that the UN assessment finds that the scale of the arbitrary and discriminatory detention of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang “may constitute international crimes, in particular, crimes against humanity”.

In view of the gravity of the OHCHR assessment, UN member states said they are concerned that China has so far refused to discuss its findings and urged the Chinese government to uphold its international human rights obligations and to fully implement the recommendations of the OHCHR assessment.

“This includes taking prompt steps to release all individuals arbitrarily deprived of their liberty in Xinjiang, and to urgently clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing family members and facilitate safe contact and reunion,” the letter read.

The UN member states stressed that addressing human rights violations, engaging in meaningful dialogue, and working together as partners are foundational to creating more inclusive societies where all can fully enjoy their human rights. “We encourage all to adopt this approach,” they said. (ANI)

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Shehbaz To Visit China Next Week To Meet Xi Jinping

By LokMarg

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit China next week along with a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, and hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Keqiang.

This would be Shehbaz’s first visit to China since assuming office in April this year and follows his meeting with Xi in Uzbekistan in September.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will visit China on 1-2 November at the head of a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The Prime Minister is undertaking the visit at the invitation of H.E. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China,” the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It added that the Pakistan PM will be among the first leaders to visit China following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, where Xi secured his third term as the leader of the party.

“On behalf of the entire Pakistani nation, I congratulate President Xi Jinping on his reelection as CPC General Secretary for the 3rd term. It is a glowing tribute to his sagacious stewardship and unwavering devotion to serving the people of China,” the Pak PM said in a congratulatory tweet on Sunday.

The Pakistan Foreign Ministry said Sharif’s visit represents the continuity of frequent leadership-level exchanges between the two countries.

“The Prime Minister will meet with President Xi Jinping and hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Keqiang. The two sides will review the All-Weather Strategic Cooperation Partnership and exchange views on regional and global developments,” the Pak foreign office said.

“The visit is also expected to advance the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation agenda with the conclusion of a number of MoUs/Agreements in diverse areas, and consolidate the momentum of CPEC cooperation in the wake of the 11th meeting of the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on 27th October 2022,” it added.

Earlier this week, media reports said Pakistan and China are set to start three new corridors in addition to the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The formal launch of the projects, which include health and digital corridors, could take place during Shehbaz Sharif’s China visit, according to The News International newspaper.

Citing unidentified sources, the Pakistan daily said the new corridors would become sources of strengthening Pakistan-China ties and would provide a new unshakable bond of the proximity of the two nations. (ANI)

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Xi Jinping Elected Chinese President For 3rd Term

Chinese Prez Xi Is All Set For Third Term With Greater Powers

By LokMarg

Chinese President Xi Jinping is all set to start his unprecedented third term with an even greater concentration of power as he is retiring top Chinese Communist Party leaders to make way for his own allies.

The once-in-five-year National Congress will be concluded on Saturday. The Congress revealed the newly-formed Central Committee, the party’s main leadership body. Of the 205 members listed, only 11 are women. Xi’s name is included in the list of new Central Committee members, reported CNN.
The newly-formed Central Committee will select a new slate of top leaders and Xi is also expected to be appointed as CCP’s general secretary on Sunday.

The Chinese Premier, the second most powerful official after Xi, is not listed in the new Central Committee, which means that Li will retire from his party role.

At the closing ceremony of the Chinese national Congress, the Communist Party claimed Taiwan as its territory, despite the fact that they have never controlled it, reported CNN.

Meanwhile, today, during the closing ceremony of the National Congress, former Chinese president Hu Jintao was unexpectedly escorted out of the ‘Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Hu Jintao, 79, was removed by unnamed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents during today’s closing ceremony of the congress, which is held once in five years.

The reason is unclear as to why the Chinese leader was removed, and more details were awaited.

However, information about such incidents is rarely revealed by China.

As Hu was being removed, the former leader looked at Xi Jinping and had a conversation that was not audible to the cameras that captured the moment.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was also seen next to Xi, who also remained stone-faced and did not react as the former Chinese president was being removed.

According to a Reuters report, the Chinese Communist Party amended its constitution to make Xi Jinping the “Core” of its party. It is now expected that Xi Jinping will remain the final authority in China.

Tomorrow, the new members of the party’s Standing Committee will make their first appearance in the “Great Hall of the People,” where the entire 20th National congress took place, and is expected to confirm Xi’s step into a norm-breaking third term and cement his place as China’s most powerful leader in decades, according to CNN.

The congress is taking place at one of the most perilous periods in international affairs in recent years. A war is raging in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin attempts to burnish his credentials as a great Russian leader, and China remains a staunch supporter of this would-be tsar.

At the same time, Taiwan Strait tensions are at their highest in decades, as China attempts to pummel Taipei into acquiescence. (ANI)

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China Censors Anti-Xi Protest Before Communist Party Cong

By LokMarg

Chinese social media censors have blocked posts, keywords, and hashtags related to the extremely rare public protest ahead of a landmark Chinese Communist Party (CCP) meeting that is scheduled to begin on October 16, at which President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a historic third term.

Hong Kong media have remained largely muted on a rare protest in Beijing that called for the ousting of China’s leader Xi Jinping ahead of the historic 20th Communist Party congress. The meeting, a once-in-every-five-years event, is set to begin on Sunday and will likely see Xi secure an unprecedented third term, reported Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP).
The protest in Beijing involved banners denouncing Chinese President Xi Jinping and the country’s stringent COVID-19 policies.

On Thursday, reports emerged on the mainland that two banners had been draped across Sitong bridge – an overpass in the capital’s Haiding district. One of the banners, according to online images, called on people to go on strike to “oust the dictator, traitor Xi Jinping.”

Another banner meanwhile listed a range of grievances, including some against the country’s stringent Covid-19 restrictions. “We want food, not PCR tests. We want freedom, not lockdowns. We want respect, not lies. We want reform, not Cultural Revolution. We want a vote, not a leader. We want to be citizens, not slaves.”

International outlets such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal reported on the incident, whilst it appeared as the top story on the BBC News website. It was also covered by Taiwanese media and independent platforms such as Initium, though the protest was ignored by mainstream Hong Kong outlets, reported HKFP.

The banners were removed quickly on the same day but photos were already being widely shared by netizens.

Chinese authorities, however, were swift to take down social media posts related to the incident, including those with keywords such as #Haidian, #Sitong bridge, and even #Beijing. There was also a police presence near the overpass afterward.

US-based Chinese writer Fang Shimin said on Twitter that the person who allegedly hung the banners was a man called Peng Lifa, who calls himself Peng Zaizhou online.

Fang claimed that Peng left comments on his previous posts before the protest, and shared similar content about protesting on the ResearchGate website. The content has now been deleted, Fang said, reported HKFP.

Following the censorship, people used another hashtag – #ISawIt – to communicate on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform. But those were also removed, with some reporting that their account was permanently blocked.

When searching for the #ISawIt hashtag on Weibo, the platform showed a message that reads “[A]ccording to relevant laws and regulations, the topic page cannot be displayed,” reported HKFP.

Others meanwhile took to Twitter, saying the person who hung the banners was “brave.”

Hours after Thursday’s protest images went viral, state media commentator Hu Xijin said on Twitter that citizens supported the country’s leadership: “China’s political stability is solid, because the country is developing very well in general, and the vast majority of people support the CPC’s leadership, hoping for stability and opposing upheaval.” He did not make reference to the demonstration.

Beijing was on high alert on Friday against any disruption to a landmark Chinese Communist Party meeting where Xi is expected to secure a historic third term as president.

Armies of volunteers have been deployed in every neighbourhood in Beijing to report anything out of the ordinary, and parcels to subway commuters have been subjected to additional security checks. (ANI)

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5G Base Stations In Xinjiang

India Abstains From UN Voting On Violations In China’s Xinjiang

By LokMarg

India on Thursday abstained from voting on a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on holding a debate on the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang.

The draft resolution on “holding a debate on the situation of human rights in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China” was rejected in the 47-member Council after 17 members voted in favour, 19 members voted against, including China, and 11 abstentions, including India, Brazil, Mexico and Ukraine.

“India has never supported country-specific issues in Human Rights Council,” sources said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan voted against the resolution. Pakistani envoy’s statement in UNHRC over Xinjiang exposes the country’s double standards.

On one hand, Pakistan claims to speak for Muslims and on the other hand, it “appreciated” China’s “efforts” to protect its minority in Xinjiang, a region which has been widely known for Beijing’s grave human rights violations.

It is pertinent to mention that 12 out of 17 (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)countries voted in favour of China. Four of these OIC countries abstained.

Somalia is the only OIC country that voted in favour of the decision of holding a debate on the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang.

A UN report said that the violations have taken place in the context of the Chinese Government’s assertion that it is targeting terrorists among the Uyghur minority with a counter-extremism strategy that involves the use of so-called Vocational Educational and Training Centres (VETCs), or re-education camps.

In a strongly-worded assessment at the end of the report, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that the extent of arbitrary detentions against Uyghur and others, in the context of “restrictions and deprivation more generally of fundamental rights, enjoyed individually and collectively, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.”

The assessment was initiated following serious allegations of human rights violations against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim communities brought to the attention of the UN Human Rights Office and UN human rights mechanisms in late 2017, particularly in the context of the Chinese Government’s policies and measures to combat terrorism and “extremism”.

The OHCHR said that the government policy in recent years in Xinjiang has “led to interlocking patterns of severe and undue restrictions on a wide range of human rights.” Even if the VETC system has as China says, “been reduced in scope or wound up”, said OHCHR, “the laws and policies that underpin it remain in place”, leading to increased use of imprisonment.

The systems of arbitrary detention and related patterns of abuse since 2017, said OHCHR, “come against the backdrop of broader discrimination” against Uyghur and other minorities.

“This has included far-reaching, arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms, in violation of international laws and standards”, including restrictions on religious freedom and the rights to privacy and movement.

The assessment is based on a rigorous review of documentary material currently available to the Office, with its credibility assessed in accordance with standard human rights methodology.

Particular attention was paid to the government’s laws, policies, data and statements. The Office also requested information and engaged in dialogue and technical exchanges with China throughout the process.

The information was assessed against applicable international human rights law and builds on the work of a number of UN human rights mechanisms.

Notably, the UN’s assessment comes at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping is poised to break with tradition by taking on a third term. (ANI)

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