China, which is listed among the worst human rights abusers in the world by the Human Rights Watch, has asked Sweden to respect the “religious beliefs” of Muslims and other minority groups, protect their lawful rights and interest, said a media report.
On April 20, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin asked Sweden, in the wake of anti-Muslim riots on April 15-16, that the European country should “earnestly respect the religious beliefs of Muslims and other minority groups, protect their lawful rights and interest, and square their words of respecting and protecting freedom of religious belief with action,” The Hong Kong Post reported.
Just five days after a “soulful lecture” to Sweden on issues related to Muslims, Wenbin took a U-turn on the planned visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to Xinjiang in May.
Bachelet who is known for her feistiness has expressed her desire to meet Uyghur Muslims whose persecution by China has created uproar in the world.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, in an obvious move to stonewall the UNHCR’s desire to visit Xinjiang said, “the goal of the High Commissioner’s visit (China) is to promote exchange and cooperation. We are opposed to political manipulation by exploiting the matter,” The Hong Kong Post reported.
It further reported that it is clear, China which tried to show its concern for “lawful rights and interest” of Muslims in Sweden, is egregiously worried that if Michelle Bachelet visits Xinjiang then it could create an awkward situation for Beijing and would become hard for it to defend an indefensible.
Listed among the worst human rights abusers in the world by the Human Rights Watch, China is not only erasing the cultural identity of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, it is also hunting them down abroad. And, this the Middle Kingdom is doing with help from countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, said the report.
The report also highlighted the recent 48th summit of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation held in Pakistan.
In the summit, every speaker at the summit talked about the situation in Afghanistan and Muslims’ sufferings in Palestine and other countries, but “none could dare to raise a single word for Uyghur Muslims despite the fact the world is aware of their plight under China’s Communist regime,” The Hong Kong Post reported.
As per a report, 1 million to 2 million Uyghurs and members of other minorities are held up in various camps in Xinjiang, where they are asked to renounce their religion, avoid maintaining any religious identity, study Marxism and work in factories.
As per the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s 2020 report, Uyghurs work in a range of supply chains including electronics, textiles and automotive under a central government policy known as ‘Xinjiang Aid’. The report further said that Uyghurs are not just working in Xinjiang, they work in 27 factories spread across nine Chinese provinces, The Hong Kong Post reported.
Recently the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) appealed to the European Union to ban all imports of products from China which have been made by forced labour.
The European Commission, which is the executive branch of the 27-member European Union, is reportedly considering bringing a legislative proposal on a forced labour ban by mid-September 2022, the report said.