Chair,

Australia and the United States, among a few countries, out of their political motives, once again abused the UNGA Third Committee to groundlessly accuse China and cite human rights as a pretext to stoke confrontation. China firmly objects to this. 

The Communist Party of China has led all groups of the Chinese people through a hard struggle to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and has historically addressed absolute poverty. We have been actively advancing whole-process people’s democracy and consistently improving the protection of human rights in the process of Chinese modernization. We have continuously promoted mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, actively advocated international human rights exchanges and cooperation, and made significant contributions to the development of the global human rights cause.

The Xinjiang and Xizang of China have achieved noticeable results in advancing socioeconomic development and human rights. The successful stories of Hong Kong in practicing One Country Two Systems are also there for everyone to see. Xinjiang has maintained stability and tranquility and everybody lives a happy life, enjoying unprecedented rights and dignity. As a major hub of the Belt and Road Initiative and a major channel for China-Europe Railway Express, Xinjiang has opened its doors wider to the outside world, receiving more than 200 million domestic and foreign tourists annually.

No matter what lies Australia and the US have spread, they would fool no one. Everyone who has visited Xinjiang says great things about Xinjiang and believes in the bright future of the region. The so-called Xinjiang assessment report is the product of coercion by the Western countries that has been denied by the Human Rights Council. It is illegal and void. Countries like Australia and the US have desperately hyped up the Xinjiang-related report, seeking to stoke confrontation and contain China. Their efforts will only end in vain. This morning, at the Third Committee, over 80 countries have expressed their support of China vis-a-visa group of a mere 15 Western countries. It shows that the world stands against politicization of human rights, and is against interference in China’s domestic affairs. 

Chair, 

It is Australia who has committed genocide against their indigenous peoples. Over 100,000 indigenous children have been deprived of life within their families, and a large number of indigenous people have been slaughtered and enslaved. To this day, their Indigenous people still suffer from unfair treatment, and Australia still maintains offshore detention centers detaining a large amount of people, which is a grave violation of human rights. Australian military personnel have committed numerous crimes by illegally executing prisoners and abusing civilians during overseas military operations, such as in Afghanistan. It is the US who suffers from gun violence, which has taken over 40,000 innocent lives. Over 30% of juvenile deaths are caused by guns, and a handful of politicians, other than “thoughts and prayers”, have done nothing in gun control. The illegal immigration issue has also been a place where the two parties wrangle and there has been farce regarding this. Gaza has become a hell on earth, while the US keeps supplying weapons to the region. The US, in the eyes of the world, supports the killing of Gaza civilians. It is those Western countries that do not have religious tolerance domestically, and their violence against minorities are on the rise. Those Western countries claim to be a beacon of human rights, but their civil rights protection systems are seriously dysfunctional and the basic survival crisis of the underprivileged has worsened. It is time for them to take stock of their own human rights situation and give up their hypocritical double standards.

Chair, 

China’s development is about providing a better life for the 1.4 billion Chinese people. We follow a people-centered development approach and are ready to engage in dialogue and exchanges on an equal footing with all countries in the field of human rights. However, we will never allow any country to interfere in China’s internal affairs, jeopardize China’s interests, or tarnish China's image under the disguise of human rights. We are also firmly opposed to the politicization and weaponization of human rights issues, or the use of human rights issues by a few Western countries to suppress developing countries that pursue independent and autonomous policies.

Thank you, Chair.