Indonesia rejects UN motion to scrutinise China’s human rights record

Indonesian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Febrian Ruddyard, speaks out on his country's decision to vote down an attempt to scrutinise China's human rights record at the 51st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on Oct 6. - Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, Oct 9 (Jakarta Post/ANN): Indonesia was among 19 nations that rejected a motion against China at the United Nations to hold a debate on alleged rights abuses against Muslim Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, in a blow to largely Western attempts to antagonise Beijing internationally.

The United States, having labeled China as its strategic rival, has attempted to contain Beijing’s influence on a number of fronts, most recently seeking to start a debate based on a report issued late August and led by then-UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet accusing China of committing “crimes against humanity”.