The July 2024 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China at the United Nations Human Rights Council was nothing short of a farce, exposing Beijing’s utter contempt for human rights and the international community. Far from being an opportunity for genuine reflection and improvement, China turned the UPR into a propaganda exercise, brazenly dismissing well-documented abuses and rejecting calls for reform with a level of arrogance that should alarm every nation committed to human dignity and justice. The Chinese government’s approach to the UPR was a masterclass in diplomatic deceit. With breathtaking audacity, Beijing not only refused to acknowledge its egregious human rights violations but also had the gall to present itself as a champion of human rights. This charade would be laughable if the consequences weren’t so dire for millions of people suffering under the Chinese Communist Party’s oppressive rule.
At the heart of China’s human rights atrocities lies the ongoing genocide in Xinjiang. Despite irrefutable evidence of mass detention, forced labor, and cultural annihilation of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, China had the temerity to dismiss the UN’s 2022 Xinjiang report as “illegal and void.” This report, which concluded that China’s actions may amount to crimes against humanity, was the result of extensive investigation and corroboration. By rejecting it outright, China has not only thumbed its nose at the UN but also at the very concept of truth itself. The situation in Tibet, long a victim of China’s brutal colonization and cultural suppression, received equally dismissive treatment. Recommendations to protect Tibetan rights and cultural identity were swatted away with the same casual disregard that has characterized China’s decades-long campaign to eradicate Tibetan culture. The international community’s failure to hold China accountable for its actions in Tibet has only emboldened Beijing to apply the same ruthless playbook in Xinjiang and beyond.
Hong Kong, once a beacon of relative freedom, has been reduced to just another Chinese city under the boot of authoritarianism. The rejection of calls to repeal the draconian National Security Law reveals China’s determination to crush the last vestiges of democracy and free expression in the former British colony. The world watched in horror as Hong Kong’s vibrant civil society was dismantled, yet China’s response in the UPR was one of defiant justification rather than reflection or remorse. The treatment of human rights defenders, lawyers, and activists across mainland China continues to be nothing short of barbaric. Arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and the Orwellian practice of “residential surveillance” have become the norm. The case of Cao Shunli, who died after being detained for attempting to engage in China’s 2013 UPR, stands as a grim testament to the lengths China will go to silence dissent. Yet, in the face of such tragedy, China had the gall to claim it “protects the lawful rights of all citizens as equals.”
China’s cynical attempt to deflect criticism by touting its economic achievements is an insult to the intelligence of the international community. The Chinese government seems to believe that lifting people out of poverty gives it carte blanche to trample on fundamental human rights. This perverse logic is a direct assault on the universality of human rights and must be rejected unequivocally. The intimidation of civil society groups attempting to participate in the UPR process is a stark reminder of China’s determination to control the narrative at any cost. By silencing independent voices and flooding the process with government-affiliated NGOs, China seeks to create an echo chamber of praise for its abysmal human rights record. This manipulation of the UN system is a direct threat to the integrity of international human rights mechanisms and cannot be tolerated.
China’s diplomatic maneuvering during the UPR was a display of brazen coercion and manipulation. By strong-arming allies like Russia and Venezuela to parrot its propaganda and pressuring other nations into endorsing its human rights record, China attempts to create a facade of international approval. This strategy of diplomatic bullying and false consensus-building undermines the very foundations of international cooperation and must be called out for what it is: a thuggish attempt to rewrite the rules of global governance. The increasing rejection rate of UPR recommendations – from 18% in 2018 to a staggering 30% in 2024 – is a clear indication of China’s growing contempt for international norms. This regression is particularly alarming in areas such as LGBTIQ+ rights, where China’s backsliding is undeniable. The international community must recognize this trend for what it is: a deliberate and calculated assault on the international human rights framework.
As China flexes its economic and political muscles on the world stage, its flagrant disregard for human rights becomes not just a moral failing but a global security threat. A regime that shows such callous disregard for the rights of its own citizens cannot be trusted to act as a responsible stakeholder in the international order. The call from over 40 UN experts for a monitoring and reporting mechanism on China is long overdue and must be implemented immediately. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, must shake off any diplomatic timidity and provide forceful, unequivocal updates on the situations in Xinjiang and Tibet. Anything less is a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the victims of China’s oppression. Moreover, countries that claim to champion human rights must move beyond toothless statements of concern and take concrete action to hold China accountable.
China’s performance in the 2024 UPR should serve as a final wake-up call to the international community. The time for diplomatic niceties and wishful thinking about China’s trajectory has long passed. Beijing has made it abundantly clear that it has no intention of respecting international norms or universal human rights. The world must respond with equal clarity and resolve. The defense of universal human rights in the face of China’s onslaught is the defining moral challenge of our time. Countries must be willing to bear economic and diplomatic costs to stand up to China’s bullying. Targeted sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for human rights abuses, restrictions on technology transfers that enable surveillance and repression, and coordinated diplomatic pressure must all be on the table.
The international community must redouble efforts to support Chinese human rights defenders, both within China and in exile. These brave individuals, who risk everything to expose the truth about the Chinese regime, deserve not just our admiration but our active support and protection. The conclusion of China’s fourth UPR should mark the beginning of a new, more confrontational approach to China’s human rights abuses. The credibility of the international human rights system hangs in the balance. If the world fails to hold China accountable now, it will send a devastating message to oppressive regimes everywhere that power and economic might can trump human rights with impunity.
In the face of China’s brazen defiance, halfhearted measures and diplomatic equivocation are not just inadequate – they are complicit. The international community must find the courage to stand up to China’s bullying, to speak truth to power, and to fight for the universal values that underpin human dignity and freedom. Anything less is a betrayal of the countless victims of China’s oppression and a surrender of our collective moral responsibility. The 2024 UPR has laid bare the stark choice facing the world: confront China’s human rights abuses head-on or acquiesce to a future where might makes right and universal human rights are nothing more than empty words. The time for action is now. The world must rise to this challenge, or history will judge us harshly for our failure to defend the most fundamental principles of human dignity in the face of such blatant and unapologetic tyranny.