Video image shows a session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: Xinhua

At the latest session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, China, along with other countries, urged the US to confront its own problems in human rights domain, particularly longstanding issues such as racial discrimination, police violence and social inequality exposed by the death of George Floyd and the rampaging coronavirus epidemic, China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Saturday.

Posters are seen during protests against racial injustice to mark Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, June 19, 2020. Photo:Xinhua

Although the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action was passed nearly 20 years, long-standing and deeply-rooted racial discrimination, police violence and social inequality were fully exposed by the death of George Floyd in the US and other similar incidents among vulnerable groups, China's mission said in the statement sent after the close of the 44th session of the Human Right Council on Friday in Geneva.

In some countries, ethnic minorities, especially those of African descent, have suffered far higher mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic than their share of the population, the mission said, noting that the health situation of immigrants in national immigration detention centers in the countries is also a matter of deep concern, which reflected contemporary racial discrimination.

The mission called on countries to earnestly comply with their international human rights obligations, take concrete action to implement the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action, eliminate the root cause of racism and other human rights violations, and protect the legitimate rights of people of African descent and other minorities.

The Chinese side expressed its firm opposition to all forms of racism and is highly concerned about racist and stigmatizing remarks made by politicians and the media in some countries amid the pandemic, which diverted attention from their failure to fight the pandemic and have incited racial hatred and xenophobia.

During the discussion on the rights of immigrants, the Chinese side said that some countries have deep-rooted discrimination and social inequality and have not taken measures to prohibit the theory of racial superiority, racial discrimination and hate speech, which aggravate the already fragile living environment of immigrants and undermine their rights.

For example, agricultural migrant workers and housekeeping workers are not protected by the US National Labor Relations Act. The country's law enforcement officials have used tear gas, rubber bullets, beatings, solitary confinement and a total ban on family and lawyers for detained migrants on a hunger strike.

The Chinese side urged the country to pay more attention to the rights of migrants to life, work, health, education and dignity, and stop the policy measures that violate human rights and take credible steps to combat racism, discrimination, populism, hate speech and xenophobia.

Global Times