Repression in China 'deepens' as premier visits Ireland
Jinping Li President Picture: Close Chinese Xi Of A Is Qiang Ap Premier File Ally Considered
Repression has “deepened” in China, 10 years into the rule of President Xi Jinping, according to Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2024.
The body said China’s policies in the province on Xinjiang, against Uyghurs and other Muslims, amount to “crimes against humanity”.
A UN report, published in August 2022, accused China of “serious human rights violations” in the province.
The report by Human Rights Watch, published at the weekend, comes as the second highest ranking political figure in China, premier Li Qiang, visits Ireland on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Garda HQ has decided to close off all access — traffic and pedestrian — to THE Phoenix Park for 24 hours, during which the premier will visit Áras an Uachtaráin and hold talks with the Government at Farmleigh House.
Mr Li is considered a close ally of President Xi, who nominated him for the position last March, a day after Mr Xi secured a third five-year term as leader.
A previous two-term limit was removed.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, visited China last November.
Human Rights Watch said Beijing “continues its massive abuses in Xinjiang”, which the agency found “constitute crimes against humanity”.
It an estimated 500,000 Muslims remain in prison or 'political education camps'.
It said China operates “one of the world’s most stringent censorship regimes and cites the jailing of businessmen, college students and even comedians."
It said human rights defenders, including lawyers, and government critics “continue to face prosecution”.
The report said freedoms in Hong Kong has “sharply declined” and that 47 pro-democracy people are being prosecuted on national security grounds.
It said state control over religion has increased since 2016 and it was seeking to reshape religions to be “consistent with party ideology and promote allegiance to the party and Xi”.
Human Rights Watch said Mr Xi has provided “crucial support” to Russia despite international sanctions imposed of it for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It pointed out that shortly after an arrest warrant was issued for President Putin Mr Xi travelled to Moscow to meet him.
Garda Intelligence monitors the activity of four states in Ireland, Russia and China being the top two.
Last July, a number of Irish academics claimed there was a "very real" threat to academic interference and economic espionage by Chinese intelligence.
In October 2022, a Chinese 'police station' in Dublin was ordered to close down amid fears across Europe and North America that they could be used to control the local Chinese communities.
Ireland has growing economic ties with China, with bi-lateral trade hitting €25bn in 2022. More than 40 Chinese companies, including Huawei, WuXi Biologics, and TikTok, have offices here.