Key South Asian Nations Support China’s Human Rights Approaches

Elle van der Cam

Tibet and Human Rights Researcher  

Global Human Rights Defence

This week, China gained support for its sovereignty from key South Asian countries as they endorsed a joint statement regarding China’s human rights approach in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong (ET Bureau, 2021). The statement gained the support of 62 nations and was brought forward by Cuba at the United Nations Third Committee, which concerns humanitarian, social and cultural issues. This was particularly worrying for India as they saw their neighbors Sri Lanka and Nepal joining Pakistan and Myanmar supporting China on this issue. The statement emphasized that issues in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong were China’s internal affairs that should not be interfered with by external forces, and that the United Nations should respect the path for states to independently lead the path for human rights development aligned with national conditions. The 62 nations show a major increase in support as a few years ago, China could only get the support from 40 countries which could be due to nation dependency on China for commercial and economic reasons. 

Further reading and sources:

ET Bureau. (2021). South Asian Nations Back China’s Take on Human Rights in Xinjiang.  Retrieved 23 October 2021, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/south-asian-nations-back-chinas-take-on-human-rights-in-xinjiang/articleshow/87217828.cms 

Photo Source: 

Zhang, M. (2021) China Gains Support for its Sovereignty. Retrieved 23 October 2021, from http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202110/23/WS61735647a310cdd39bc70bc3.html