China denounces Canada’s hypocrisy regarding Indigenous people

China accuses Canada of hypocrisy for criticizing Beijing’s human rights record, highlighting problems faced by indigenous people.

This backlash comes after Ottawa sanctioned eight Chinese officials it accuses of serious human rights violations against ethnic and religious minorities, and expressed concerns about democracy in Hong Kong.

Ottawa issued a statement last month citing reports of arbitrary and violent detention of Uyghurs and repression against Tibetans and Falun Gong practitioners.

Global Affairs Canada also deplores the fact that Chinese authorities are offering international bounties for information regarding democracy activists in Hong Kong and the territory’s former lawmakers, including Canadians.

Beijing says the allegations are baseless and has imposed sanctions on groups and activists in Canada who defend minorities in China, barring citizens from certain interactions with those activists.

Chinese replica

Since then, Chinese state media has repeatedly called out Canada for its treatment of indigenous people, saying Ottawa is being hypocritical.

Canada is in no position to lecture others on human rights Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference on December 11, according to an official translation.

Even today, Indigenous peoples in Canada continue to face systemic racial discrimination and unfair treatment. Instead of dealing with it, Canada chooses to smear and vilify other countries.

According to Ms. Mao, China has made enormous progress on human rights what no one without bias can deny.

A day later, she added that All this is nothing but a vile and hypocritical political stunt carried out by certain Canadian political figures under the pretext of human rights, to serve an unspeakable agenda and to please the United States.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa amplified these messages on social media, including a political cartoon from state media outlet CGTN showing a beaver with a tattered house telling a panda with an immaculate house that there has cracks.

The calls of theHIM in Ottawa and Beijing

In a periodic assessment of human rights issues in Canada, the United Nations noted that progress has been made on indigenous rights and housing, while urging the country to do more.

In the November 2023 assessment, theHIM called on various levels of Canadian government to put an end to human rights abuses by Canadian mining companies abroad and the over-representation of minorities in prisons and child welfare services.

The report also called on Canada to better respect the rights of indigenous peoples prior, freely given and informed consent.

The same body’s assessment of China in January 2024 noted that the country had improved its policies towards women and children, but urged Beijing to act to ensure that detainees are officially registered, can see their families and are detained in officially recognized places of deprivation of liberty.

The report urged China to respect the rights to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression as well as freedom of peaceful assembly and culture, including of Tibetans, Uyghurs and other minorities.

The report also indicated that anti-terrorism laws are not compliant with international law human rights, and that Beijing should revise the national security law in Hong Kong accordingly.