Tue October, 2020, Age: 3 years
Beijing is furious after 39 countries have supported a German-led initiative to condemn China’s human rights violations in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. In separate statements, Pakistan, Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, and a group of African and Arab countries voiced their support for Beijing. UN diplomats told DW that that Beijing had not expected more than 30 countries to join and had begun a political pressure campaign to prevent countries from signing the statement.
Tuesday’s statement shows that Beijing’s aggressive tactics at the UN may be backfiring. In German ambassador Christoph Heusgen’s words, “More and more countries are feeling increasingly uncomfortable with China.” However, Chinese influence is growing in poorer countries, like those in Africa, or in European countries like Greece, where it continues to invest heavily. This may have an impact on garnering international support against rights violations in the country.