By Rhoda Kwan
https://hongkongfp.com/author/rhodakwan/
Beijing said that comments made by Mike Pompeo were “very absurd” after the US Secretary of State criticised China’s re-election to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) earlier this week.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Pompeo accused the UNHRC of “embracing” authoritarian regimes: “Today the UN General Assembly once again elected countries with abhorrent human rights records, including China, Russia, and Cuba,” a statement read.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zhao Lijian said that China was elected by UN member states: “The United States withdrew from the Human Rights Council and is now standing on the opposite side of the international community. It is in no position to dictate the Human Rights Council election.”
“We advise the United States to stop spreading political virus and make some earnest efforts to promote and protect human rights in its own country… It should stop politicising human rights issues and stop using human rights as a pretext to interfere in others’ internal affairs.” Zhao added.
Later the same day, the US Secretary again criticised Beijing’s human rights record and alleged disregard for international law, tweeting: “The Chinese Communist Party has routinely dismantled the autonomy that Beijing promised to the Hong Kong people & the world in a UN-registered treaty.”
The secretary also referred to a sanctions report issued by the State Department on Thursday which named 10 individuals whose “actions have undermined freedoms of assembly, speech, press, or rule of law.”
The election of China, Russia, and Cuba to the UN Human Rights Council validates the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Council in 2018 and use other venues to protect and promote universal human rights. At #UNGA this year, we did just that.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 13, 2020
https://hongkongfp.com/2020/10/15/beijing-slams-us-sec-mike-pompeo-for-criticising-chinas-renewed-seat-on-un-human-rights-council-ngos-dismayed/