China urges some Western countries to stop political manipulation

BEIJING -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Monday urged certain Western countries to abandon their hypocritical double standards and political manipulation on human rights issues and address their own problems on human rights.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing after China, Belarus, Russia and Venezuela recently co-hosted a virtual side event during the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). It exposed human rights problems in Western countries and their hypocrisy over human rights policies.

Some Western countries like the United States have been plagued by serious human rights problems such as racial discrimination, forced labor and gun violence, and committed crimes including genocide of indigenous communities, illegal military intervention and indiscriminate killing of civilians in other countries, Zhao said.

Instead of rectifying their own problems, Zhao said these countries have been in the habit of lecturing others as if they were "defenders" of human rights, and even fabricating lies and rumors to vilify others. Facts have proved time and again that human rights is the last thing on their mind, and their real intention is to meddle in others' domestic affairs.

Zhao emphasized human rights doesn't mean a "patent" for a few countries, and it is even less defined by Western ideologies and values. "The key yardstick for measuring a certain country's human rights hinges on whether its people are satisfied or happy about it."

In response to comments by Australian media reports that "the strongest public criticism came from China" at the 47th session of UNHRC when reviewing the third cycle of Australia's Universal Periodic Review, Zhao said China's criticism is the strongest because there is solid evidence for Australia's numerous human rights violations.

He cited systematic discrimination and hate crimes targeting African Australians, Asian Australians and other minorities as well as Muslims and indigenous people.

The Australian side should stop attacking and smearing other countries under the human rights pretext, do some soul-searching and resolve its own human rights issues well, Zhao added.