28th September: The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said on Tuesday that a group of UN member nations has called on China to uphold human rights in Tibet during the UN Human Rights Council’s 48th session. According to a CTA post, delegates from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, and the European Union (EU) have expressed concern and urged China to uphold human rights in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong on behalf of 26 member states.
The United States sharply criticized human rights abuses, including economic exploitation, institutional racism, and the destruction of cultural heritage by China, in a statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council. China’s severe limitations on religious, linguistic, and cultural traditions in Tibet continue to worry the United States.
On behalf of the EU’s 26 member states, France read the EU statement, which reaffirmed China’s responsibility under national and international law to respect and preserve human rights, including the rights of people belonging to minorities, particularly in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia. Reports of human rights violations in Tibet have prompted Denmark to express its “great concern.” The delegate reaffirmed China’s commitment to allowing the High Commissioner and other independent observers meaningful access.
The German delegate expressed similar worries, saying that the systematic human rights violations in Tibet are “gravely concerning.” China’s breaches of human rights, especially limits on press freedom and freedom of religion or belief in Tibet, have raised major concerns in the Netherlands. Switzerland denounced China’s continued arbitrary detention of minorities and urged Beijing to respect Tibetan people’s rights.
Similarly, the Swedish delegation voiced alarm about human rights violations committed by China, notably in Tibet, against minorities, human rights campaigners, and media workers. Delegates from the United Kingdom, Finland, and Norway have also expressed their worry about China’s systemic breaches of human rights.
Though the UN delegates’ opinions are welcome, criticism alone will not prevent China from exploiting Tibet and its people. More stringent measures are required, such as banning Chinese goods that exploit minorities and imposing sanctions on China. Can a government that breaches human rights, such as China, follow the rules? Probably not, so we’ll have to come up with a better way to keep China from doing these things.
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