Crucial UN vote on human rights looms
China is expected to face a crucial vote at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva today as member nations begin to discuss individual countries.
According to Xiao Qiang , executive director of US-based group Human Rights in China, mainland diplomats in Geneva - led by Ambassador Wu Jianmin - are expected to try to block a resolution on China by moving a procedural 'no-action' vote today.
Last year, China lost the 'no-action' vote but managed to defeat a similar resolution by one vote.
For the past year, Chinese diplomats have been campaigning around the world to save themselves another embarrassing battle.
Primarily sponsored by the European Union and the United States, the resolution this year urges China to sign two UN conventions on human rights, respect international human rights standards and submit a report to the UN Secretary-General next year.
'The resolution this year is much milder than in previous years',' said Mr Xiao, who is lobbying for the resolution. 'It isn't really criticising China.' 'In fact, the resolution recognises some achievements made by China in the past year in areas such as legal reform,' he said.
Despite the mild nature of the resolution, it would make China the first UN Security Council member to face international scrutiny for human rights violations.
China's disapproval of the resolution was evident in the national press yesterday. Without naming the EU and the US, the Guangming Daily published a commentary that challenged certain 'developed countries' for adopting a confrontational stance in the UN commission.
Mr Xiao said it would be difficult to predict how all 53 members would vote, as some, such as Benin, have remained non-committal.
He said the balance appeared to have tilted in China's favour a few weeks ago, but support for the resolution has picked up again in the past few days.
The activist said although China could have mustered enough support to sustain the 'no-action' vote and block the resolution this year, the discussions and concern among commission members were encouraging.
He believed China had become more sensitive to international pressure since it faced challenges from the UN five or six years ago.
He pointed out that the Government backed down last month and allowed relatives to resume their monthly visits to top dissident Wei Jingsheng in jail, apparently as a result of international outrage.
Wei, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for subversion, was denied family visits in February.
In addition, Mr Xiao said many foreign governments had adjusted their strategies when negotiating with China, focusing on systematic change instead of demanding the release of individual dissidents.
