Human rights abuses in China range from restrictions on freedom of speech, religion, and assembly – to concerns about arbitrary detention. And in particular concerning the Falun Gong community, the Tibetans, the Uyghurs and the Hongkongers.
While China officially recognizes the major religions – they place severe restrictions on religious groups like the Falun Gong who are not recognised by the CCP and face persecution – along with numerous allegations of imprisonment, forced labour and organ harvesting.
One of the most pressing human rights issues in China is the treatment of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang – who are subject to mass surveillance, arbitrary detention in “re-education camps,” forced labour, and cultural assimilation efforts.
China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls “re-education camps”, and has sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms.
In a statement by the China Tribunal in 2018 they found beyond reasonable doubt – that forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience has been practised for a substantial period of time.
In a recent statement Penpa Tsering, the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile warned that Tibet is “dying a slow death” with CCP policies aimed at the “eradication” of the Tibetan identity.
He described the policy of forcible schooling of 1 million Tibetan children in what he describes as “colonial-style boarding schools” – where the youngsters are separated from their families, taught only in Chinese and forced to pledge allegiance to the CCP.
In Hong Kong the Police have placed bounties on pro-democracy activists who fled Hong Kong, accusing them of serious national security offences including foreign collusion and incitement to secession.
And recently in the politically motivated and discredited trial of Jimmy Lai – two British citizens — sanctions campaigner Bill Browder and Luke de Pulford – have been named as “co-conspirators” in the trial.
China cannot be allowed to continue infringing the fundamental freedoms of Hongkongers, Tibetans, Uyghurs and the Falun Gong – – and their continued efforts to intimidate those who support them abroad.
Now more than ever we need to focus on increased public awareness, advocacy and engagement to hold the CCP responsible and to uphold human rights in China.
In 2022 in a blatant display of CCP over-reach abroad – pro-democracy protester Bob Chan, a Hongkonger, was injured after being dragged onto the Manchester consulate grounds and beaten by Consular staff.
Beijing sponsored thugs are now appearing at most China protests abroad.
Chinese restaurants in the UK have been accused of spying and operating as Chinese Police Stations – accused amongst other things, of conducting “persuasion operations” to coerce dissidents to return home.
On the geopolitical front. In the South China Sea – China has made territorial claims: which overlap with the Exclusive Economic Zones of several South-east Asian nations, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.
In Taiwan – China has exerted pressure on countries to diplomatically isolate Taiwan and has been conducting aggressive military exercises crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait .
In India – Border Disputes have become more frequent with aggressive manoeuvring and the building of new bases along the disputed border.
Having become the lender of first resort through the Belt and Road initiative, China is now the world’s biggest international creditor. The true scale of the debt – thought to be hundreds of billions of dollars – is unknown. Many of the loans, given out by both public and private lenders, are shrouded in secrecy and have caused huge debt problems for countries like Sri Lanka and the Maldives to Laos and Kenya.
China’s expansionism in these areas reflects its broader geopolitical ambitions, strategic interests, and efforts to assert its influence regionally and globally.
The authoritarian CCP has become increasingly repressive in recent years. They continue to tighten control over all aspects of life and governance, including the state bureaucracy, the media, online speech, religious practice, universities, businesses, and civil society associations.
Democracy in China remains a distant dream for many.
