Ambassador Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the United Nations office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, speaks during the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. Photo: Liu Xin/GT

More than 90 countries expressed their support and understanding to China's stance and 65 of them clearly opposed interference with China's domestic affairs on its Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Tibet Autonomous Region under the excuse of human rights.

This happened on the second day of the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday after Canada led a group of Western countries to release a joint statement to make groundless accusations of China on Xinjiang related topics. 

The confrontations displayed at the UN human rights body show the battle between the truth about Xinjiang and rumors and lies made by the anti-China campaign led by the US and a small group of Western countries including Canada, analysts said. 

On behalf of 65 countries, the representative of Belarus made a joint statement on Tuesday, stressing that respecting the sovereignty and integrity of each country is the basic code of international relations, and affairs on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet are China's domestic affairs, which should not be interfered by outside forces.  

The statement by the representative of Belarus also opposed double standards or politicalizing human rights issues. It opposes groundless accusations against China based on disinformation or political purpose; or using human rights as an excuse to interfere in China's domestic affairs.

Aside from the 65 countries, six countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council also sent a message to support China. More than 20 countries plan to deliver separate speeches to support China, making the total number to express understanding and support to China surpassing 90.

The number of countries that have expressed support to China was compared to the joint statement made by Canada on behalf of a group of Western countries, in which it urged China to allow the UN human rights chief to access Xinjiang to look into reports of "more than a million people being unlawfully detained" and some "subjected to "forced labor." 

China has refuted rumors on "one million people" being "detained" or the existence of forced labor in its Xinjiang region, calling them a "total lie." 

The so-called "genocide" and "forced labor" in Xinjiang are nothing but rumors with ulterior motives and downright lies.   Its real purpose is to restrict and contain the development of relevant sectors and companies in China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press conference on Tuesday. 

In contrast to the West's evidence-free accusation, people from Xinjiang also appeared at the Tuesday session to make their voices heard. 

Gulnar Ubul, vice-chairperson of the Xinjiang Association for Science and Technology, also gave a video speech at the session of the UNHRC on Tuesday. She said that there have been no violent attacks in Xinjiang for more than four years and the region has enjoyed better economic and social development. 

"As a Uygur scholar who has witnessed changes in Xinjiang in recent years, the development of human rights in the region has been witnessed by the international community. No anti-China force can undermine the stability of Xinjiang," said Gulnar. 

World Uyghur Congress (WUC),a US-backed right-wing regime-change network seeking the "fall of China," used to use Gulnar's photo in an exhibition inside a tent at the Broken Chair Square in February 2020, claiming that Gulnar and others are "detained and missing." But Gulnar debunked WUC's lies and told the Global Times in an interview that "I hope to tell these overseas anti-China forces that they should not insult me or insult other ethnic scholars in Xinjiang. It is impossible for them to use our photos to slander China. I reserve the right to pursue legal action against this notorious organization!"

On behalf of a group of countries, Ambassador Chen Xu, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva and  other International Organizations in Switzerland, also said in a joint statement on Tuesday that "We are gravely concerned about baseless accusations by certain countries using human rights as a means to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, severely violating the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, while turning a blind eye to their own serious human rights problems."

Chen noted that some countries, under the pretext of democracy and human rights, want to impose their own values and models on others, and even use human rights as an excuse for military intervention and unilateral coercive measures, which has brought untold sufferings to the people of other countries. 

"We also hope that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will keep functioning in accordance with GA resolution 48/141 and within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states," said Chen.

There will be more battles against disinformation on China's Xinjiang at this session as the US is coming back to the UNHRC and is wielding its influence to pressure other countries to attack China and to hype related topics to smear China while trying to label China for "genocide," Zhu Ying, deputy director of the National Human Rights Education and Training Base of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times. 

Zhu is scheduled to attend a sideline activity at the 47th session in the coming days and together with other Chinese scholars, they will share the truth on China's human rights situation with international experts. 

Analysts also noted that under the pressure from the West, the High Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, talked about China's Xinjiang and Hong Kong topics at the council on Monday, saying that she hopes to visit Xinjiang this year. 

Liu Yuyin, spokesman for China's mission to the UN in Geneva, said on Monday that her visit should be a "friendly one" aimed at promoting cooperation "rather than making the so-called 'investigation' under the presumption of guilt."