China Hails UN Victory, Thanks Muslim Nations for Opposing Uyghur Human Rights Motion

Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan

Oct 8, 2022

China has publicly celebrated what it describes as a diplomatic victory at the United Nations after a motion aimed at addressing human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Uyghur region, officially known as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region failed to pass in the United Nations Human Rights Council. In official statements, Beijing thanked countries including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and others for their support in opposing the motion.

According to Chinese state media and foreign ministry remarks, the vote outcome was framed as proof that the international community’s “eyes have opened” to what Beijing calls the attempts by “enemy forces” led by the United States and the United Kingdom to hinder China’s development. The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that numerous Muslim-majority countries have consistently supported China’s policies in the region, calling this backing evidence that Beijing’s approach is “correct” and that Western efforts to isolate China have failed.

The United Nations vote itself was tightly contested. On the motion to hold a formal debate on alleged abuses in Uyghur rights, 19 countries voted against, 17 voted in favor, and 11 abstained, resulting in the motion’s rejection. This outcome was seen as a diplomatic win for China due to its bloc-building efforts, which included securing the support or acquiescence of a range of states across Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and beyond.

For critics and Uyghur advocates, the result was deeply disappointing. Human rights organizations and exiled Uyghur groups have repeatedly highlighted credible reports documenting mass arbitrary detention, forced labor, cultural suppression and other abuses in the Uyghur region — with major international bodies concluding that these may amount to crimes against humanity.

Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and other countries thanked by Beijing have generally maintained close political and economic ties with China. Observers note that many of these states also tend to frame Uyghur rights abuses as a domestic matter of China’s sovereignty, avoiding public criticism of Beijing’s policies — a stance that critics argue indirectly enables the continuation of abuses.