A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday expressed strong opposition to and outright rejection of the remarks made by the representatives of the United States and the UK on the human rights situation in China, accusing them of fabricating and spreading falsehoods, and provoking political confrontation.
Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the statement in addressing the Interactive Dialogue with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the Third Committee of the 79th UN General Assembly.
In refuting the remarks made by the representatives of the U.S. and the UK, the Chinese envoy said that Xinjiang, Xizang, and Inner Mongolia of China enjoy prosperity and stability. The people of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region enjoy a wide range of rights and freedoms in accordance with law. The lies about China have been readily debunked. The so-called assessment report of Xinjiang is a product of pure political coercion exerted on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) by the U.S. and the UK. It was already rejected by the Human Rights Council and is completely illegal, and null and void.
"It is the human rights conditions in the U.S. and the UK that need attention of the international community. It is the U.S. which turns a blind eye to the deaths of over 40,000 civilians in Gaza, violently suppresses peaceful student protests on campus domestically, and sends ammunitions externally to allow the fighting to escalate. It bears unshakable responsibilities for the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East. It is the UK which committed all kinds of crimes all over the world during hundreds of years of colonial rule, sowing the seeds of most of the wars and conflicts such as those between the Palestinians and Israelies and those in Sudan and Myanmar. To this day, it continues to fan the flames, bearing grave responsibility for these issues. It is the U.S., the UK, and a few other Western countries that have allowed the spread of Islamophobia and Asian hate, and continue to discriminate against and restrict ethnic minorities. Their loud claims to champion human rights are extremely hypocritical," Dai said.
He also called on all parties to practice true multilateralism, and to protect and promote human rights by ensuring security, advancing development, and enhancing cooperation, so as to jointly promote healthy development of the international human rights cause.
China stands ready to continue to cooperate with all countries and the OHCHR in the area of human rights on the basis of equality and mutual respect. It is hoped that the Office will fulfill its mandate in an objective and just manner and conduct constructive dialogue and cooperation with all countries, Dai said.
Chinese envoy refutes accusations on human rights by US, UK
Chinese envoy refutes accusations on human rights by US, UK
Giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao from China are settling into their new home at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C.
Arriving from China on Tuesday, the staff at the zoo are excited to welcome them.
"Oh, my gosh. It is beyond exciting for us to be able to welcome these two new giant pandas here to the zoo. We have such a long history with the giant panda conservation program dating back to 1972. And we've made so many amazing headway in this area, to be able to welcome these two to open that new chapter is just very exciting for us," said Stephanie Brinley, deputy director of the National Zoo.
Dr. James Steeil, supervisory veterinary medical officer at the National Zoo, traveled with the three-year-old pandas from China in a specially equipped Fed Ex cargo plane dubbed the Panda Express.
"I went about a week ahead of time to China, and from there I got to learn a lot of the behaviors and how both of those pandas worked with our Chinese colleagues, and I got to do visual health assessments on those pandas to then determine whether there were anything that I needed to be prepared for the flight," said Dr. Steeil.
The pandas made the journey in excellent health. Researchers here will study them as they age, gaining knowledge that will help conservation efforts.
Zookeepers said their personalities are already emerging.
"Qing Bao is a little more reserved. She's definitely very cautious. She looks at her environment very carefully. Bao Li is very people oriented. He loves to be around his keepers, they're a little bit opposites. But for this pair, you know, my hopes are just hopefully someday they'll have their own cubs," said Laurie Thompson, assistant curator of the national zoo.
For now the two bears have only seen each other from a distance and will live apart in separate yards and indoor areas.
"Because pandas only are reproductively active for like two days a year, so then they're strictly solitary from before that. We keep them all solitary except for the times of breeding," said Dr. Steeil.
A team of experts from China is here to help the bears settle in. Staff members say collaborations with colleagues from China are crucial.
"It's a wonderful cooperative, collaborative relationship that we have with our Chinese counterparts," said Brinley.
The National Zoo is preparing for large crowds, but visitors will have to wait a bit longer to see Bao Li and Qing Bao in person, as they won't make their public debut until January. The pandas need a few months to acclimate before the crowds arrive.
In the meantime, zookeepers are improving the panda habitat and working to improve the visitor experience.
This is the second time this year that China has sent giant pandas to the United States.
Sent as part of a 10-year international giant panda protection cooperation program, the pandas, Bao Li, male, and Qing Bao, female, departed their hometown in southwest China's Sichuan Province, accompanied by an experienced breeder and a veterinarian to help them quickly adapt to their new environment at the US zoo.
China's panda pair settle into new home at zoo in Washington
