In light of the recent George Floyd protests, China has weighed into call on the U.S. to address their racial discrimination, calling it a “a social ill,” while the oriental nation continues to oppress its Muslim Uighur population in the far west of the country.
According to CNN, Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said: “We are following the latest developments around the death of Mr. Floyd, Black Lives Matter and their human rights should be protected.”
Zhao–who has previously made headlines for suggesting that the Chinese government did not permit cover-ups when the international community piled on the pressure at the height of the global epidemic–went onto add: “the racial discrimination against minorities is a social ill in the United States, what happened again reflects there are serious problems that should be urgently addressed, that is the racial discrimination and violent law enforcement by police.”
The comments come at a time when China’s appalling human rights record has come to the fore as African residents had been grossly mistreated and their Uighur population suffered inhumane treatment.
Rumors of organ harvesting had surfaced as an unlikely donor appeared in a timely fashion for a double-lung transplant of a coronavirus patient out of a significantly small number of volunteer donors. In 2015, China promised the international community they would stop harvesting organs of political and religious dissidents.
"Black lives matter and their human rights should be guaranteed," said #China's FM spokesperson on Monday, urging U.S. to eliminate racial discrimination, protect minorities https://t.co/PEqmdpw2y2 pic.twitter.com/XW6FKjbM9I
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 2, 2020
Zhao added: “We hope the US government will take concrete measures to fulfill its obligations under the international convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination to uphold the legal rights of ethnic minorities.”
Social media erupted at the audacious remarks made by Zhao.
“Has China punished the business owners and landlords for evicting Africans for the virus?” Tweeted one social media user.
Another wrote: “Black people not allowed inside supermarkets in China and these buggers come out to preach the world?”
“This level of hypocrisy has never been reached before,” remarked a third.
A fourth laughed out loud: “China talking about human rights ahahahaha.”
China’s claim did little to quell tensions as the second largest economy’s role in their mishandling of the Covid-19 outbreak failed to forge many friendships on the international stage.
