UN Human Rights Conference in China Pushes Beijing’s Narrative on ‘Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ Agenda 

Latest Developments

• China Co-Hosts UN Human Rights Conference: The United Nations and the Chinese government co-hosted a human rights conference on December 9 that showcased Beijing’s determination to reframe human rights concerns around “economic, social and cultural rights.” Delegates from “nearly 50 countries and regions” heard Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi boast that China — which scored a 9/100 “Not Free” rating in the latest Freedom House international survey — had made “Historic achievements … in [its] human rights cause, and the protection of ESCR (economic, social and cultural rights) has reached new heights.”

• UN Declines to Criticize Beijing’s Human Rights Record: During the conference, Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, declined to repeat his previous criticism of China’s brutal repression of the country’s Uyghur minority and Tibet. The U.S. State Department has previously referred to Beijing’s persecution of the Uyghur minority in the northwest of the country as a crime against humanity and genocide.

• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Endorses ‘Right to Development’: During the conference, Turk also endorsed states’ “right to development,” a concept that has often been invoked by Chinese authorities to silence criticism of the country’s repressive behavior by emphasizing its economic progress and anti-poverty initiatives. Turk claimed that “the pursuit of economic growth at all costs has contributed to the denial of human rights and the destruction of climate and environment.”

FDD Expert Response  

“China’s hosting of this conference is just the latest example of Beijing exploiting international institutions to propagate its false narrative on human rights and legitimize its authoritarian agenda. By endorsing the CCP’s perverse redefinition of fundamental freedoms, the United Nations undermines its own credibility and enables China’s systematic erosion of global human rights standards.” – Craig Singleton, China Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

“China has long sought to redefine critically important concepts like human rights, transparency, and democracy for its own benefit to the point of making them meaningless. Too often, international organizations, like the United Nations, have provided a forum for this amoral gaslighting, to the detriment of freedom everywhere.” – Josh Birenbaum, CEFP Deputy Director

“The Chinese Communist Party has consistently pushed both its internal and external propaganda outlets to ‘tell Chinese stories well,’ allowing Beijing to shape global public opinion in its favor while simultaneously drowning out critical voices. The UN decision to promote China’s narrative on human rights marks yet another successful effort to legitimize Beijing’s authoritarianism.” – Jack Burnham, Research analyst, China Program

FDD Background and Analysis

“China Is Trying to Change What Human Rights Mean,” by Josh Birenbaum

“China Wins Human Rights Vote At UN, Exposing Flaws of Biden’s Reform Plan,” by Craig Singleton

“China Sanctions U.S. Lawmakers and Human Rights Advocates,” by Eric Lorber and Kavya Kannan