GENEVA — China faces international scrutiny on Tuesday over its domestic policies in places including Hong Kong, Tibet and the western Xinjiang region, as the world power receives its latest UN-backed review of its human rights record.
An extraordinarily large number of more than 160 countries (some critical of Beijing, some allies) have registered to participate in a discussion about China’s human rights record. That means each person will have no more than 45 seconds to speak.
China, whose delegation will be led by its chief ambassador in Geneva, Chen Xu, can present a delegation that has up to 70 minutes to present its case.
The “universal periodic review” involves all UN member states undergoing (sometimes intense) scrutiny by other countries approximately every five years. The discussion, which lasts hours, is intended to offer constructive criticism that supports a written report that will offer recommendations, not criticism.
“These are all opportunities for countries to offer congratulations, criticism and recommendations. Only recommendations expressly formulated as such… are taken into account in the review report,” said Pascal Sim, the chief spokesman for the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, which helps organize the reviews.
Several human rights groups had events planned outside of the China review, and the Tibet Defense Coalition, the World Uyghur Congress and human rights advocates in Hong Kong were expected to hold a joint news conference after the proceedings. .
Another advocacy group aims to denounce the forced repatriation from China of North Korean women who fled the isolated nation under leader Kim Jong Un.
A pro-Tibet group planned a demonstration outside the UN complex in Geneva during Tuesday’s discussion.
Ahead of the hearing, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, a lawyer for Jimmy Lai, a former Hong Kong editor prosecuted for violating national security, said she hopes Lai’s case will be brought to light.
Western governments are expected to call for his release and the repeal of Hong Kong’s national security law, which was imposed on the territory in 2020 to end mass civil unrest. Critics say the law has been used to repress civil society and undermine freedom of expression.
“This is an opportunity for the international community to hold China accountable for human rights abuses in Hong Kong,” Gallagher said. “What we have seen in recent years has been the dismantling of civil society, the criminalization of dissent, the criminalization of critics of the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong.”
On Monday, four independent human rights experts working under the council’s mandate called for Lai’s release and for all charges against him to be dropped.
In China’s last review in 2018, the United States and other countries expressed concern about China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.