Global criticism of China’s indifference to human rights finally seems to have forced President Xi Jinping to pay serious attention, but in his own way.
He tells his people that China has its own individual approach to human rights that needs to be publicised and respected. Xi, in principle, formats human rights in the mould of Chinese characteristics as he decides to counter the criticism over the treatment of Uyghur Muslims by refusing to be apologetic about it. The change in the communist leadership’s human rights approach on the eve of Xi’s third term of power at the 20th party congress later in October is recognised in Xi’s address to the 37th group study session of the Chinese Communist Party’s central committee, held earlier this year.
He takes credit for having taken the protection of human rights to a higher level after he came to power in 2012. Significantly, he talks of social, political, and economic goals for ensuring human rights but ignores to mention how his government pursues a merciless form of sinicization of Islam to destroy the cultural and religious roots of minority communities of China, especially Uyghur Muslims. In his long address, he mentions religious beliefs only in passing. That gives him away.
The goals of this session were to review our country’s human rights achievements, both theoretical and practical, in the new era; assess the international struggle in the sphere of human rights; and “maintain a steadfast commitment to the Chinese path to promote further progress in human rights.”