Wars in Mideast expose US hypocrisy on human rights: China’s top diplomat

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – The current wars in the Middle East expose the US double standards on human rights, according to China’s foreign minister.

“If the United States cares so much about the human rights of Muslims, why does it continue to provoke or support wars in the Middle East and other regions, causing large numbers of innocent Muslim casualties?” Wang asked UN human rights chief Volker Turk during a Wednesday meeting in New York, on the sidelines of this week’s UN General Assembly.

“Why does it turn a blind eye to the historical injustices the Arab people have faced and not support Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations?” he asked, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.

He also questioned why Washington is “not playing its due role in achieving a permanent cease-fire and complete withdrawal of troops from Gaza.”

Wang argued that the “political manipulation” of human rights issues by countries like the US was “becoming increasingly unpopular across the world.”

On China’s northwestern Xinjiang province, Wang claimed issues related to the region’s Uyghurs are being used “to attack and smear China's human rights situation.”

“The vast majority of Muslim countries have long seen through the tricks of the United States and understand that it is merely using human rights as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of China and other developing countries,” Wang said.

China has faced criticism over its treatment of ethnic Uyghurs but Beijing has consistently pushed back, calling it interference in its internal affairs.

Beijing’s “achievements in protecting and promoting human rights are widely recognized, and the development and progress in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are evident to all,” Wang told the UN human rights chief.

He added that China is “willing to engage in dialogue with all countries on human rights issues on the basis of equality.”

“China's doors are open to the world, and it welcomes friends from all nations to visit China and see for themselves,” he added.​​​​​​​