A spokesman for the minister was not pleased with Habeck’s statements.
(Photo: IMAGO/Xinhua)
Beijing On Wednesday, China reacted angrily to the comments made by Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck on the Xinjiang Papers. “The economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany is mutually beneficial,” warned a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry at a press conference. “I hope that the German government and politicians see this correctly and do not mislead the public and harm their own interests,” the spokesman continued.
Habeck on Tuesday evening was critical of the latest revelations about how the Chinese government was dealing with the Muslim Uyghur minority in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang. “There are always shocking reports about China’s brutal treatment of the Uyghurs,” said Habeck.
Nevertheless, the information that reaches us about detention, abuse and forced labor is particularly shocking. “Here there must be a clear answer internationally and further clarification,” demanded the Federal Minister of Economics.
On Tuesday, an international media consortium reported on thousands of previously secret documents and photos. They show once again how the Chinese government is systematically imprisoning Uyghurs in Xinjiang and detaining them under conditions that violate human rights. It describes in detail the alleged offenses for which the people there are being sentenced to long prison terms.
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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in China
Under the new federal government, human rights would have a higher priority, said Federal Minister of Economics Habeck. For example, applications from German companies for federal guarantees for investments in China would be examined with a view to environmental, social and human rights aspects in order to rule out human rights violations and forced labor in the supply chain. The federal government is also checking whether the Xinjiang region is affected. In addition, Chinese takeover bids in Germany would be examined with “the necessary critical eye”.
>>> Read here: “The pictures from China are shocking” – This is how politicians and corporations react to the Uyghur revelations
Human rights organizations have been accusing the Chinese government of serious human rights violations in the province for years. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, is currently visiting China. It is the first trip by a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the People’s Republic since 2005. Bachelet’s plan also includes a visit to the cities of Kashgar and Urumchi in Xinjiang.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry again rejected reports of human rights abuses in Xinjiang on Wednesday. Xinjiang is “stable and prosperous and people live and work in peace,” the foreign ministry spokesman said.
More: Data leak reveals scale of China’s crackdown on Uyghurs