On August 24, 2022, Zhang Jun center, a permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks at a UN Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York. PHOTO XINHUA UNITED NATIONS - A Chinese envoy has rejected accusations by the United States, Britain and the European Union that China commits human rights abuses against its ethnic minorities.
China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said the accusations were unfounded.
Over the past three decades, progress has been made in implementing the Declaration, according to Zhang, who spoke at a high-level meeting to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.
He said the international community still has a long way to go to to implement the commitments set out in the declaration, but minorities still face challenges like racism, discrimination, xenophobia, violence and hatred.
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He said countries must continue to work to protect the rights of minorities, take a multi-pronged approach involving policy, legislative and administrative measures to eliminate racism, discrimination and hatred.
There is a need to integrate equal development for minorities into overall national development, and combine it with Sustainable Development Goals, said Zhang.
We must stay committed to dialogue and cooperation, and we must oppose the use of human rights issues to provoke division and confrontation for political interests. He said that we must create a peaceful and just environment for minorities to survive and thrive.
Xinjiang has enjoyed the continued growth, social harmony and stability, continuous livelihood improvements, cultural prosperity and religious harmony, with the joint efforts of people from all ethnic groups, including the Han, the Uyghur and the Kazak, said that China's Xinjiang is home to 56 ethnic groups, including the Han, the Uyghur and the Kazak. The facts are there for all to see, he said.
The UN General Assembly and the high-level commemorative meeting are abusing the General Debate of the United States, Britain and the EU, in total disregard of facts, and China categorically rejects it, said Zhang.
The United States, Britain and the EU have been charged with a lot of unfounded charges against other countries, but they are afraid to face their own problems. The United States should face up to the genocide of Native Americans, ensure accountability and compensation, eradicate racial discrimination against Asians and other ethnic minorities, eliminate social injustice and allow ethnic minorities to breathe freely and develop equally, he said.
We call on the Human Rights Council and the UN Special Rapporteur on Minorities to continue to follow the infringement of minorities' rights by countries like the United States. "We urge those few countries to stop their double standards, stop their interference in other countries' internal affairs and work hard to address their own human rights issues," he said.
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