Thread by @HillelNeuer

1/ The last time anyone introduced a UNHRC censure of 🇨🇳 China was 2004. The sponsor was 🇺🇸 USA. Beijing moved "no action" & killed the resolution by a 28-16 vote.

The Economist reports US may bring it again—but fears losing the vote could embolden China.
economist.com/china/2022/01/…

2/ I strongly urge @USMissionGeneva to introduce a resolution on human rights in China. This would place Beijing's gross and systematic abuses on the international agenda. If the text wins more than 16 votes, that's progress compared to the 2004 vote (⬇️).

China would hate it.

3/ For too long now, the US & EU have avoided introducing resolutions on countries unless they're sure of victory.

This is a wrong approach. It undermines the potential of the UN as a forum to achieve international exposure of a targeted regime and its human rights abuses.

4/ A draft resolution on China—or any other politically significant country—would never go unnoticed, even if it were defeated. The global debate sparked by such a move would be enormous, and, to be frank, would have far more impact than most of the UNHRC's adopted resolutions.

5/ When last tried in 2004, China was outraged: "This discussion has been seriously distorted and used by Western countries to humiliate developing countries.
The US, after a lull of two years, had been prompted by its upcoming elections to put forward an anti-China draft..."

6/ "The US should buy a mirror and look in it, and if it could not afford one, China would do so for it. China prepared a white paper on human rights in the US, and would make it available today for all. However, China advised not to read it, since it might cause a nightmare.'