China opposes 'weaponizing' human rights: Foreign minister

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - China says it stands against "politicizing, instrumentalizing, or weaponizing human rights," adding that it is wrong to "impose one’s own will upon others."

“China stands ready to work with all countries to keep to the right approach to human rights and push for the reform and improvement of global human rights governance,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday.

“We must say no to any words and deeds that use human rights as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries in disregard of national sovereignty and security and the safety of people’s lives,” Wang told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, according to an official transcript.

He added that in order to protect “national sovereignty, security and dignity,” it is necessary to take a “balanced approach to individual and collective rights.”

Wang also said the human rights situation of a nation can be measured by “whether the interests of its people are effectively protected and their sense of fulfillment, happiness and security improved.”

He underscored that nations progress at their own pace on human rights and that “no path is superior to others.”