China hits back at Japan over ‘rights resolution’

ISTANBUL

Beijing on Wednesday hit back at Tokyo, calling a resolution adopted by Japanese parliament as “severe political provocation against the Chinese people.”

“The so-called resolution about human rights adopted by the Japan’s House of Representatives is extremely vile in nature, as it disregards facts and truth, maliciously denigrates China’s human rights conditions, gravely violates international law and basic norms governing international relations, and grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs,” said Zhao Lijian, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday called for scrutiny into alleged human rights violations in China.

“We regard changes to the status quo by force, symbolized in the serious human rights situations, as a threat to the international community,” read the resolution adopted by the lower house of Japanese parliament.

It pointed to Uyghur-dominated Xinjiang province, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia and Tibet.

“The so-called human rights issues claimed by the Japanese side are purely China’s internal affairs, bear on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and allow no irresponsible comment by any external forces,” Zhao said.

The resolution argued that human rights issues "go beyond the internal affairs of a country and are of interest to the entire international community."

The Chinese diplomat reminded Japan of its “innumerous crimes during the war of aggression,” referring to the Second Sino Japanese War between 1937 and 1945.

“With a deplorable track record in human rights, it has no authority whatsoever to make wanton remarks about other countries’ human rights conditions,” the Chinese official stressed.

The legislators sought “Beijing's accountability and called for the constructive involvement of the Japanese government.”

They also noted the international community’s “concern over infringements of the freedom of religion and imprisonment in China.”

“This is a severe political provocation against the Chinese people,” Zhao said, adding that the issue was raised with the Japanese side.

“Some Japanese politicians, in utter disregard of overall China-Japan relations and norms of state-to-state interaction, went to great lengths to piece together the so-called resolution,” he added, warning that Beijing “reserves the right to take further measures.”

China is gearing up to launch the Beijing Olympics later this week, despite a boycott call by multiple Western nations, including the US, UK, and Canada, due to concerns centered on China's human rights record.

It denies any wrongdoing and has termed the allegations as a “political virus” used by the West to malign China.