Geneva: China was subjected to a human rights review on Tuesday at a United Nations meeting here, where the West demanded more protection for Xinjiang Uygjhurs as well as more freedom in Hong Kong. However, China claimed that they made historic progress, Reuters reported.
The scrutiny conducted in Geneva is the first of its kind since the UN released its 2022 report that suggested that China's detention of Uyghur and other Muslim communities in the Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity. China had denied the charges of atrocities against the said communities.
In recent weeks, Beijing allegedly lobbied among non-Western countries to praise its human rights record at the scrutiny meeting of the UN. Beijing sent memos to envoys demanding the same, Reuters reports. However, Chinese diplomats did not comment on lobbying allegations but said that it had made progress since the UN's 2018 review. Beijing claimed that it had lifted around 100 million people from poverty.
Beijing claimed that it had "scored historic achievements" in human rights development.
Around 163 countries were set to speak at the Tuesday session, with each of them allotted 45 seconds to speak.
Many, including Ethiopia and Cameroon, praised China for its apparent efforts on human rights, while Western countries like Germany pointed out human rights violations in violations in Xinjiang and Tibet. Canada demanded for China to roll back its Hong Kong national security law.
But Hong Kong's chief secretary Eric Chan praised the law.
Meanwhile, activists advocating for Tibet, Uyghurs and Hong Kong, as well as dissidents in China, have planned a protest on Tuesday outside the UN building.