On October 17, the Third Committee of the 78th United Nations General Assembly held the general debate on human rights issues. Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations,  attended the general debate and delivered the national statement, in which he elaborated on the profound human rights connotation in the Global Security Initiative, Global Development Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, introduced the human rights development path with Chinese characteristics and its significant achievements, and stated China’s strong opposition against any interference into China’s internal affairs by any state under the pretext of human rights. 

Developing countries and friendly countries rose up and made statements to support China. Pakistan and Venezuela delivered joint statements respectively on behalf of 72 countries and 19 members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations. A number of countries in their national statements commended China’s human rights achievements. These statements merged into a strong voice supporting and echoing China’s just position and opposing the interference into China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

Zhang Jun said that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the international community should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, protect common security and promote common development, thus further advancing the international human rights cause. We must safeguard world peace and adhere to the peaceful settlement of disputes, so as to build a fundamental premise for the promotion and protection of human rights. We must vigorously promote development and make every effort to bring the 2030 Agenda back on track, so as to build solid guarantees for the promotion and protection of human rights. We must strengthen exchanges and mutual learning, and leave no room for the erroneous arguments such as “democracy versus authoritarianism”. We must uphold fairness and justice to ensure the right direction in the promotion and protection of human rights.

Zhang Jun pointed out that, in pursuit of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, China has embarked on a path of human rights development that conforms to the trend of the times and suits its own national conditions. This is a path of development that puts people front and center, with 1.4 billion Chinese people living in peace, harmony, unity, and happiness. This is a path of development with the running of the country by the people, who are the true masters of the country. This is a path of development for the common prosperity of all ethnic groups, who are closely united on an equal footing like the seeds of a pomegranate. This is a path of development that not only fully fulfills China’s own responsibilities, but also makes important contributions to the global cause of human rights. China has proposed and put into practice the Global Security Initiative, Global Development Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, pointing out the right direction to the development of the international human rights cause.

Zhang Jun stressed that China firmly opposes and sternly rejects the continued fabrication of lies by a handful of Western countries including the European Union on Xinjiang- and Hong Kong-related issues, and their insistence on provoking confrontation and interfering in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights in total disregard of the truth. I would like to point out that the lies about China’s human rights situation are totally unfounded. The so-called assessment report on China’s Xinjiang is full of false information and is totally illegal and invalid. I would like to point out that politicizing human rights issues will lead to nowhere. Countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have turned a blind eye to and covered up their own serious human rights violations such as racial discrimination, while pointing fingers at and making groundless accusations against developing countries. This double standard will find no support. I would like to point out that dialogue and cooperation represent the right way forward. A few countries undermine dialogue and cooperation at will, and they will only end up isolating themselves and bringing humiliation to themselves.

Zhang Jun also made a joint statement on behalf of 28 countries to expose and criticize the United States and some other Western forces for their abuse of unilateral coercive measures. The joint statement stresses that unilateral coercive measures run counter to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law, multilateralism, and the basic norms of international relations. The imposition of these illegal measures continues to cause devastating, sometimes even life-threatening, consequences to targeted countries and their peoples, and negatively affect the enjoyment of human rights, including the right to health and the right to life. Therefore, the imposing States are called on to immediately and completely cease such practices.

Pakistan, on behalf of 72 countries, made a joint statement to support China’s just position on Xinjiang-, Hong Kong- and Tibet-related issues. The joint statement stresses that these issues are China’s internal affairs and strongly opposes the politicization of human rights, double standards, and interference in States’ internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. It calls on all parties to abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and respect the rights of people of each State to choose independently the development path suited to their own national conditions. It further elaborates that the international community should uphold multilateralism, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, respond jointly to global challenges, and promote and protect human rights.

Venezuela, on behalf of 19 members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, made a joint statement to support China’s position, and rejects and criticizes the practices by the United States and some other Western forces such as double standards in the field of human rights, connivance of racial discrimination, abuse of unilateral coercive measures, and interference in other States’ internal affairs. The statement appeals to the international community to abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, respect all States’ sovereignty, and actively promote dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights.

A number of countries supported China in their national statements. They highly commended China’s human rights achievements, and opposed the attempts of politicizing human rights issues and instigation for confrontation and division. They called on all countries to firmly uphold multilateralism and the spirit of solidarity, and promote and protect human rights through dialogue and cooperation. These remarks once again added volume to the voices in firm support of China.

The strong and just voices of developing and friendly countries in support of China’s just position is an epitome of the firm position of the international community, especially developing countries, in opposing the politicization of human rights issues. Facts have shown that the attempts by a handful of Western countries to interfere in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights attract no popularity and no support from the majority of countries, and proved to be a complete failure.