China says it's firmly against foreign interference

Comment comes as Aussie, NZ leaders voice concerns over human rights issues

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison laying wreaths at Arrowtown War Memorial in Queenstown yesterday. China dominated the Queenstown conference by the two leaders, who cited developments in Hong Kon
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison laying wreaths at Arrowtown War Memorial in Queenstown yesterday. China dominated the Queenstown conference by the two leaders, who cited developments in Hong Kong and Xinjiang as issues of concern. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

China said yesterday it was firmly opposed to foreign interference after Australia and New Zealand, presenting a united front, expressed concerns over China's actions in Hong Kong and the north-western Xinjiang region.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the comment at a regular press briefing in Beijing in response to a question about the meeting between the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand.

It was the first time they had met in person since the pandemic began 15 months ago.

China dominated the post-meeting conference in Queenstown by Mr Scott Morrison and Ms Jacinda Ardern, who highlighted developments in Hong Kong and Xinjiang as issues of concern, as well as the South China Sea, where China has continued to assert its dominance.

"The prime ministers expressed serious concern over developments in the South China Sea, including the continued militarisation of disputed features and an intensification of destabilising activities at sea," said a joint statement released after the meeting.

Asked about the stance of New Zealand, whose ties with China have strengthened, Ms Ardern said her country and Australia had "broadly been positioned in exactly the same place" over human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

In April, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta drew some criticism from Western nations when she said New Zealand was uncomfortable expanding its invocation of the Five Eyes alliance with Australia, Canada, Britain and the United States beyond intelligence matters into wider policy statements.

Australia and New Zealand have starkly different bilateral ties with Beijing: Relations between China and Australia have reached their lowest point in years, with disagreements on an array of issues including trade and diplomacy. Wellington has enjoyed relatively warmer ties, but has faced accusations across the Tasman Sea as being soft and having sold out to China.

Meanwhile, the Chinese authorities conducted a separate press briefing yesterday, focusing on human rights developments in the past five years.

China has aggressively hit back at criticism, insisting that it has a different definition of human rights from the West. Beijing considers poverty alleviation and improving its citizens' standards of living as rights to economic development.

"A happy life for the people is the greatest human right," Mr Li Xiaojun of the State Council Information Office's Human Rights Bureau told the media in Beijing.

"The implementation of the action plan has brought the protection of the economic, social and cultural rights of the Chinese people to a new level."

China has achieved poverty reduction goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade ahead of schedule, Mr Li said, adding that the Chinese people "enjoy extensive and true democracy and freedom".

Officials also pointed to China's participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The Foreign Ministry's special representative for human rights Li Xiaomei said: "China advocates human rights dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect, opposes the politicisation of human rights and double standards, and opposes human rights interference in internal affairs."

Beijing has come under widespread criticism from foreign governments and rights groups over its treatment of the ethnic Uighur population in Xinjiang. More than one million people are believed to have been detained in camps, which China insists are vocational training facilities.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 01, 2021, with the headline China says it's firmly against foreign interference. Subscribe