China Foils US Bid at UN Human Rights Session

China Foils US Bid at UN Human Rights Session

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An anti-China attempt, brewed by the United States, was foiled once again as a China-tabled "no- action" motion was passed by voting Wednesday at the 57th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

This is China's 10th victory over the US-led anti-China bid since 1990. It is also the third consecutive defeat sustained by the United States since 1999 when the Americans failed to get anyone to speak for them and had to come out from behind the scenes to do the job themselves.

With 23 votes for, 17 against, 12 abstentions and one absentee, the 53-member commission approved the Chinese motion, thus rejecting the US draft resolution against China before it was put to the vote.

In his statement to explain China's stand before the vote, Chinese Ambassador Qiao Zonghuai said that within the past 12 years since 1990, the United States has for 10 times instigated or tabled anti-China draft resolutions in the commission.

"Every time it makes the same argument that the human rights situation in China has been deteriorating. This argument is in total disregard of the situation on the ground," Qiao told more than 500 participants at the meeting.

"During these 12 years, China has made great achievements in economic development and social progress and the Chinese people have been enjoying ever higher levels of economic, social and cultural rights," he said. "During this period, as a result of unswerving efforts in building up democracy and the legal system, the Chinese people are able to enjoy civil and political rights to a degree unprecedented both in scope and in depth."

The US standards of human rights are nothing more than double standard and political standards, Qiao said. "The United States refuses to reflect on its own rampant racial discrimination, which leads to the recent severe racial violence in Cincinnati. The United States has also persisted in preventing the international community from showing justified concern over the violation of the legitimate rights and interests of the people in the occupied Palestinian territories."

"Meanwhile, the United States arbitrarily levels accusations of human rights violations against the developing countries. Can this practice be characterized as anything other than double standards? The United States tables country resolutions against countries selected on the basis of political proximity and for the needs of its domestic political expediency. Can this be anything other than typical political utilitarianism?" the Chinese ambassador asked.

Of the 53 members now seating on the UN human rights commission, those who voted for China's no-action motion included Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zambia as well as China.

Those who voted against the motion were Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Britain and the United States.

And those voted with abstentions were from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mauritius, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland and Uruguay. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was absent.

Failures of US anti-China resolutions

Winning broad support in the UN Commission on Human Rights, China Wednesday defeated another US anti-China move at the commission's 57th session in Geneva.

Since 1990, the United States has masterminded nine resolutions against China over human rights conditions in China at the UN human rights commission. However, all the attempts failed.

The following is a chronicle of major events over the past 11 years.

-- March 6, 1990, the commission, at its 46th session, turned down a resolution proposed by the United States and a handful of other Western countries, with a vote of 17- 15 and 11 abstentions.

-- March 4, 1992, the UN commission adopted at the 48th session a "no-action" motion tabled by Pakistan with a vote of 27-15 with 11 abstentions, deciding not to take action on the "China/Tibet situation" resolution cooked up by a few Western countries.

-- March 10, 1993, at its 49th session, the commission, by a vote of 22-17 with 12 abstentions, decided not to consider a resolution on the "the human rights situation in China" put forward by the United States and several other Western countries.

-- March 9, 1994, the commission at its 50th session adopted a "no-action" motion forwarded by China and decided not to discuss the resolution on the so-called "human rights situation in China" proposed by a few Western nations, foiling their attempt to put pressure on China under the pretext of human rights. Twenty countries voted in favor of China's motion, 16 voted against and 17 abstained.

-- March 8, 1995, a resolution on the so-called "human rights situation in China" tabled by the United States and the European Union was turned down by the UN human rights commission at its 51st session by a vote of 21 against, 20 in favor and 12 abstentions.

-- April 23, 1996, at its 52nd session, the commission dismissed the resolution on "the human rights situation in China" advanced by the European Union and seconded by the United States, with a vote of 27-20 with six abstentions.

-- April 15, 1997, the 53rd session of the commission decided not to consider the resolution on "the human rights situation in China" put forth by the United States, Denmark and some other Western countries, by a vote of 27-17 with nine abstentions.

-- April 23, 1999, the commission adopted a no-action motion at its 55th session forwarded by China with a vote of 22-17 and 14 abstentions, throwing away a resolution on "the human rights situation in China" brought forward by the United States

-- April 18, 2000, China foiled the anti-China attempt by the United States as the 56th session of the UN human rights adopted a no-action motion proposed by China 22-18 with 12 abstentions.