China says West applies ‘double standards’ on human rights

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China said Monday that the West has applied “double standards” by catering to the human rights of people fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war but by ignoring those of refugees from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

“I want to stress that the international community should not adopt a double standard on the Palestinian question and other international and regional hotspot issues,” Wang Wenbin, the spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, told a news conference in Beijing.

Wang was commenting on a statement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who said after meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday that the latest incidents in Europe have proven that "there are double standards being flagrantly observed around the world."

“The Palestinian question should not be marginalized or forgotten, and the injustice lasting for over 50 years should not continue,” Wang said.

Referring to “three specific proposals” by Beijing towards implementing a two-state solution, he said: “China will continue to stand firmly with the Palestinian people.”

During his meeting with Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki last week on the sidelines of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Pakistan, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi had suggested that the authority of the Palestinian National Authority “should be enhanced.”

Wang also called for “greater unity” among Palestinian factions where they can “achieve genuine internal reconciliation.”

Beijing thirdly suggested that a “larger, more authoritative and influential international peace conference should be held with the participation of the permanent members of the UN Security Council and all stakeholders in the Middle East peace process to explore effective ways for a political settlement of the Palestinian question.”

- ‘Double standards unacceptable’

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that the double standards to sympathize with refugees in Ukraine while ignoring refugees from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America “is unacceptable.”

“It is an unacceptable double standard to call acts harming civilians in Ukraine war crimes while allowing harm done to civilians in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria to go unpunished,” he said, referring to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.

At least 1,151 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,824 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which cautioned that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 3.87 million Ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.

“It is an unacceptable double standard to say the attacks on Ukraine undermine the principle of respect for sovereignty while claiming the attacks on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria as legitimate and lawful,” Wang said.

Wang, the top spokesman of the Foreign Ministry of China -- which has itself faced criticism over allegations of Uyghur human rights violations -- also said: “It is an unacceptable double standard to stress that sovereignty is inviolable on the Ukraine issue while deeming human rights as superior to sovereignty when it comes to issues related to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Iraq.”

Stressing that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries “should be respected,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry official noted that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter “should be observed.”

“The legitimated security concerns of all countries should be valued. Only when double standards are discarded can regional hotspot issues be addressed in a just manner and an enduring peace can be achieved in Europe and other places of the world,” he added.