The Nigerian government has rejected the United States’ accusation that China is committing human rights abuses against Muslims and other minority groups, calling it unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the Nigerian government declared its stance in a joint statement issued on 21 November, alongside 84 other countries.
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The coalition of 85 countries, including Nigeria and China, rejected what they described as attempts to politicise human rights and interfere in the domestic affairs of sovereign states.
The statement, issued by China’s permanent mission to the UN, condemned “double standards” and the use of human rights rhetoric as a pretext for interference in internal affairs.
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The statement was a rebuttal to an earlier declaration made by the US and signed by 16 countries, expressing “deep concerns” about what they describe as serious human-rights violations in China, including in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
The US highlighted the treatment of ethnic and religious minority groups, including Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, Christians, Tibetans, and Falun Gong practitioners, saying that these communities have faced targeted repression. Other signatories to the US statement include Israel and Australia.
China, Nigeria, others accuse US of double standards
However, in defence of China, Nigeria and the 84 other signatories, including Muslim-majority countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, and many other African countries like Mali, Libya, Chad and Niger, kicked against what they called the use of double standards and interference in the internal affairs.
“We maintain that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, adhere to the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, and non-selectivity, and respect the right of the people of each state to choose the path for development independently in accordance with their national conditions.
“All human rights should be treated with the same emphasis, with sufficient importance attached to economic, social, and cultural rights and the right to development in particular.
“Today, human beings face multiple challenges. The international community should uphold multilateralism, strengthen solidarity and coordination, and respond jointly to global challenges, advance world peace and development, and promote and protect human rights,” the statement read.
US’ Claim
Meanwhile, the US and its co-signatories said credible reports indicate the continued use of arbitrary detention, forced labour, mass surveillance, and restrictions on religious and cultural expression by the Chinese government.
The US also expressed concerns about the separation of children from families in boarding schools and ill-treatment in detention.
The US and its co-signatories said, “Online and offline, state censorship and surveillance are used to control information, limit public discourse, and punish those who challenge official narratives.
“The suppression and transnational repression of journalists, human rights defenders, and lawyers further exemplify a climate of fear designed to silence criticism. “These actions erode trust and are in direct contradiction to the very principles that sustain global stability and human progress. We call on the People’s Republic of China to release all those unjustly detained for simply exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, which are cornerstones of legitimate governance and global credibility, and to fully comply with its obligations under international law.”
The diversity of the signatories to the documents arguably shows the waning influence of the US in the global polity as it relates to China. When the US made a similar accusation in 2023, it got 51 signatories, including most of its European allies such as Germany, the UK, and France. However, virtually all the European allies refused to sign the latest one, with only the UK and the Baltic states as the most significant allies who co-signed the statement.
Also, among China’s 85 signatories are many Muslim-dominated countries as well as 45 African countries.
See the full list of the signatories to the two documents here and here.
US Christian persecution claim
The US had also earlier alleged an attack on Christians in Nigeria.
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It accused the Nigerian government of supporting the mass slaughter of Nigerian Christians by Islamic extremists and threatened a military incursion.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that President Donald Trump had also designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and suspended arms sales and technical support for the country.
Although the Nigerian government has denied the claims, Mr Trump has insisted on them, while his administration has drawn up contingency plans for a possible military action.
He claimed Christianity was an existential threat in Nigeria as radical Islamic groups were killing thousands of Christians.
However, a senior official at the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Jonathan Pratt, said the US will work with Nigeria to address the alleged Christian persecution in the country.
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