STORY: Developing, friendly countries voice support for China's just position at UN meeting
DATELINE: Oct. 18, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:42
LOCATION: UNITED NATIONS
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. wide shot of the conference room
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese/English): ZHANG JUN, China's permanent representative to the United Nations
3. wide shot of the conference room
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese/English): ZHANG JUN, China's permanent representative to the United Nations
5. wide shot of conference room
6. SOUNDBITE 3 the (English): MUNIR AKRAM, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN

STORYLINE:

Developing and friendly countries on Tuesday made statements to support China at the general debate on human rights issues held by the Third Committee of the 78th UN General Assembly.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, attended the general debate and delivered the national statement, in which he elaborated on the profound human rights connotation in the Global Security Initiative, Global Development Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, introduced the human rights development path with Chinese characteristics and its significant achievements, and opposed the lies about China's human rights situation fabricated by a handful of Western countries.

Pakistan and Venezuela delivered joint statements respectively on behalf of 72 countries and 19 members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations.

A number of countries in their national statements commended China's human rights achievements. These statements merged into a strong voice supporting and echoing China's just position and opposing the interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese/English): ZHANG JUN, China's permanent representative to United Nations
"The international community should be in the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, strengthen solidarity and cooperation to advance the international human rights cause. We must safeguard world peace and adhere to the peaceful settlement of disputes, to build a fundamental premise for the promotion and protection of human rights."

Zhang pointed out that, in pursuit of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, China has embarked on a path of human rights development that conforms to the trend of the times and suits its own national conditions.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese/English): ZHANG JUN, China's permanent representative to United Nations
"China firmly opposes and sternly rejects the continued fabrication of lies by the European Union and a handful of Western countries on Xinjiang- and Hong Kong-related issues, and their insistence on provoking confrontation and interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. I would like to point out that the lies about China's human rights situation are totally unfounded. The so-called assessment report on China's Xinjiang is full of false information. It has been rejected by the Human Rights Council as totally illegal and invalid. I must point out that politicizing human rights issues will lead to nowhere. Countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have their own serious human rights violations, and they make groundless accusations against developing countries. This double standard will find no support. I must point out that dialogue and cooperation represent the right way forward. A few countries still indulge in the Cold War mentality, undermine dialogue and cooperation in human rights, and they will only end up isolating themselves and bringing humiliation to themselves."

Zhang also made a joint statement on behalf of 28 countries to expose and criticize the United States and some other Western forces for their abuse of unilateral coercive measures.

The joint statement stresses that unilateral coercive measures run counter to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, international law, multilateralism, and the basic norms of international relations. The imposition of these illegal measures continues to cause devastating, sometimes even life-threatening, consequences to targeted countries and their peoples, and negatively affect the enjoyment of human rights, including the right to health and the right to life.

Pakistan, on behalf of 72 countries, made a joint statement to support China's just position on Xinjiang-, Hong Kong- and Xizang-related issues.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MUNIR AKRAM, Pakistan's permanent representative to United Nations
"Xinjiang-, Hong Kong- and Tibet-related issues are China's internal affairs. We oppose the politicization of human rights and double standards, or interference in states' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. We maintain that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, adhere to the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, and respect the rights of people of each state to choose independently the path for development in accordance with their national conditions."

Venezuela, on behalf of 19 members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, made a joint statement to support China's position, and reject and criticize the practices by the United States and some other Western forces such as double standards in the field of human rights, connivance of racial discrimination, abuse of unilateral coercive measures, and interference in other States' internal affairs.

The statement appeals to the international community to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respect all States' sovereignty, and actively promote dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights.

A number of countries supported China in their national statements. They highly commended China's human rights achievements, and opposed the attempts to politicize human rights issues and instigation for confrontation and division.

They called on all countries to firmly uphold multilateralism and the spirit of solidarity, and promote and protect human rights through dialogue and cooperation. These remarks once again added volume to the voices in firm support of China.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from the United Nations.
(XHTV)