Nations voice support at UN committee

More than 100 countries on Tuesday voiced support for China's stance through joint statements and individual remarks at the United Nations, opposing the politicization of human rights issues.

In the general discussion of Item 71 Human Rights at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly at its 79th session, Pakistan delivered a joint statement representing 80 countries including China, emphasizing that "Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Xizang related issues are China's internal affairs".

"We oppose politicization of human rights and double standards, or interference in states' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights," Munir Akram, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, said in the joint statement.

"We maintain that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, adhere to the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, and respect the right of the people of each state to choose independently the path for development in accordance with their national conditions," said the statement.

"All human rights should be treated with the same emphasis, with sufficient importance attached to economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development in particular," it said.

Qatar, on behalf of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, delivered a joint statement supporting China, emphasizing that human rights should be approached with objectivity, constructiveness, and non-politicization while respecting national sovereignty and noninterference in internal affairs.

Mauritania, speaking on behalf of Arab states, also expressed support for China, condemning the "politicization of human rights by Western countries" and calling for "respect for national sovereignty and historical and cultural contexts".

Venezuela, representing the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, reiterated the opposition to the "politicization of human rights and divisive actions", criticizing "Western interference in other countries' internal affairs under the guise of human rights".

"The human rights situation that should gather the most attention at the Committee this year is undoubtedly that of Gaza," Fu Cong, China's permanent representative said. He called it "double standards" to downplay the humanitarian situation in Gaza while accusing China regarding issues in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

He accused Australia and the U.S. of "using human rights as a pretext to interfere in China's internal affairs, curb its development, and broadly suppress developing countries that adhere to an independent and autonomous foreign policy."