April 18, 2000-- China foiled the United
States' anti-China attempt once again in Geneva on April 18
as a "no-action motion" was adopted at the 56th
session of the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights.
The 53-member U.N. commission adopted
the Chinese motion 22-18, with 12 abstentions and 1 absent
from the voting.
It was China's ninth victory
over United States-led anti-China attempts since
1990.
"The draft resolution is nothing
but an anti-China political farce directed and
played by the United States alone, and a mockery toward the
(U.N.) human rights commission and its members, " said
Chinese Ambassador Qiao Zonghuai when tabling the no-action
motion.
In reaction to the United States'
attack on China's use of the no-action motion,
Qiao said China's act was fully justified by the existing
statute.
"The rules of procedure applied
in the Human Rights Commission were established by the
Economic and Social Council of the United Nations through
legal procedures and have been in effective use for many
years."
No-action motions have been
applied on numerous occasions and have never been called
into question, said Qiao, who also heads the Chinese
delegation to the annual six-week meeting of the commission.
Washington, as a matter of fact, used
no-action motions on various occasions, including
at the UN General Assembly, to block moves against it, Qiao
said.
Washington's attack on China over the
issue is a typical manifestation of Washington's double
standards and hegemonism.
Qiao said Washington
put forward the anti-China resolution as it
doesn't like China's mode of development and the path
Chinese people have chosen. "The U.S. wants
to take control of China's destiny," he said.
“History has proven, and will continue
to prove, that hegemony, power politics and any attempt to
control other people's destiny can only lead to
self-destruction."
"The brave
strides of the 1.3 billion Chinese people can be stopped by
no one," said Qiao.
The U.S. attempt was
made mainly out of its domestic political needs, analysts
said. With presidential elections drawing near this year,
certain political forces in the United States once again
chose to confront China at the annual U.N. Human Rights
Commission session to score political points at home.
The United States has to act alone this year
at the UN Human Rights Commission to table the anti-China
resolution as not a single country would like to second
Washington's move. Some European Union countries,
like France, as in 1997 and 1999, refused to put forward any
anti-China resolution this year. Instead of confrontation,
they favor "constructive dialogues" with China on
the issue of human rights.
The Americans even
resorted to evil cults as its weapons against China this
year, accusing China of disrupting religious
freedom by banning the Falun Gong cult.
China argued that it acted on Falun Gong in
accordance with the law of the country precisely for the
purpose to protect the freedom of belief of the more than
100 million Chinese cherishing various regions.
At the session, many delegates from developing
countries, especially those from Asia and Africa, extended
warm support for China's stance. They highly praised China
for social and political stability, great achievements in
various fields, and tremendous progress made to
protect and improve human rights in the country.
The countries that voted for China's motion
are: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, China,
Congo, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Madagascar,
Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar,
Russia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Venezuela and Zambia.
Those who voted against China are: Canada,
Colombia, the Czech Republic, El Salvador, France,
Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Latvia,
Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Swaziland,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
The countries that abstained from the vote
are: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Liberia,
Mauritius, Mexico, Philippines, Rwanda, South
Korea, Senegal and Tunisia.
Romania was absent
from the voting procedure. (End)