Human rights and Taiwan are “red lines” for China that cannot be crossed, the country’s ambassador to the U.S. warned on Wednesday, ahead of President Xi Jinping’s arrival in Washington for a three-day summit.
Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng, writing in the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, said managing differences hinges on good faith, and the U.S. should stop “fabricating pretexts” such as national security, economic imbalances and forced labor to try to constrain China.
“China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests cannot be violated, and four red lines — the Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, development paths and systems, and development rights — cannot be challenged,” Xie said.
RFA Uyghur’s Shohret Hoshur interviewed Rebiya Kadeer of the Washington-based International Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Foundation (IUHRDF) for her reaction to China’s “red lines” statement ahead of Xi’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
RFA: Why do you think Beijing issued this warning at this particular moment?
Rebiya Kadeer: The Uyghur genocide and human rights issue is China’s greatest vulnerability. It is also a crime that China has spent enormous financial resources attempting to conceal from the international community. At this important moment, when the world is paying close attention, China does not want this vulnerability to be exposed.
RFA: Do you interpret the warning as a sign that Beijing fears President Trump may raise what his administration has called the Uyghur genocide and individual Uyghur political-prisoner cases during his meeting with Xi Jinping? If so, what does it reveal about Beijing’s concerns?
Rebiya Kadeer: Ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit, several members of Congress called on President Trump to raise the cases of political prisoners—including Gulshan Abbas, Ilham Tohti, Rahile Dawut and Ekpar Asat—and demand their release. China knows that, in a democratic country such as the United States, the views of members of Congress carry weight and receive serious attention. Therefore, through this statement, China is attempting to pressure President Trump.
RFA: Does this warning demonstrate confidence—or fear that China’s human-rights abuses could become part of the summit negotiations?
Rebiya Kadeer: This is certainly not the kind of statement made by a strong country. China’s economic development is not healthy development; it has been built upon unfair competition and coercion. The stability China has established within the country, particularly in East Turkistan (Xinjiang in Chinese), is not natural stability—it is artificially imposed stability.
Therefore, although the Chinese government may appear strong, it is fundamentally weak. A government that fears its own people and is unable to embrace democratic elections is a fearful government. It is especially afraid of criticism.
RFA: How should President Trump respond to Beijing’s effort to place human rights outside the summit discussions?
Rebiya Kadeer: China’s statement itself demonstrates why President Trump must raise the Uyghur genocide and human rights. I believe that raising these issues would give President Trump the upper hand at the negotiating table and help him achieve his objectives on other matters.
If he does not raise them, he will not only be acting against the will of the American people, but he will also lose ground on the other issues under negotiation. I call upon—and hope—President Trump will follow a course befitting the strong president of a powerful country.
With reporting by Reuters. Edited by Charlie Dharapak.
