President Biden rejects the genocide of the Uighur population in China and calls mass internment a ‘different norm’ – despite the Foreign Ministry’s response this month to ‘atrocities’ in the camps, following reports of systemic rape and torture.
The commander-in-chief made the remarks after being questioned during his CNN City Hall Tuesday night about his recent conversation with his Chinese counterpart, which begins his response by stating Xi’s justification for the abuse.
“If you know anything about Chinese history, it’s always been the time China was victimized by the outside world, when they were not united at home,” Biden began. “The central principle of Xi Jinping, therefore, very much exaggerated, is that there should be a united, strictly controlled China. And he uses his rationale for the things he does based on it. ”
China, a country that has faced a spate of international scrutiny over the past few years regarding its activities to undermine democracy in Hong Kong, and its refusal to accept responsibility for negligence and a lack of transparency with the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, global tensions halt its mass internment of Uighurs in Xinjiang province.
President Biden went on to say in his response that he would not “fight the Chinese Communist Party” in Hong Kong, the Uighurs or Taiwan.
“I point out to him that no American president can run for president if he does not reflect the values of the United States,” the US president continued. ‘And so the idea that I’m not going to speak out against what he’s doing in Hong Kong, what he’s doing with the Uighurs in the western mountains of China and Taiwan – to end the one-Chinese policy by making it powerful … [Xi] get it. ”
“Culturally, there are different norms that are expected of each country and their leaders to follow,” he continued.
The ‘norms’ in China, as evidenced by a recent BBC News report, include systemic torture and rape occurring in Uighur concentration camps.
Following the release of the BBC report, China banned the outlet in its territory.
Asked at City Hall whether there would be consequences for the CCP over the genocide, Biden ignored the question, saying the US would ‘reaffirm our role as human rights spokesmen at the UN and other agencies’.
“Well, there will be consequences for China and [Xi] know it. “What I do is make it clear that we are reaffirming our role as human rights spokespersons at the UN and other agencies that have an impact on their position,” he said.
Asked if China was not already too empowered to reverse some of its appalling human rights practices, Biden expressed confidence that human rights would win the day.
‘China is trying very hard to become the world leader. And to get the moniker and be able to do that, they need to gain the trust of other countries. And as long as they are engaging in activities that violate basic human rights, it will be difficult for them to do so.
‘But it’s much more complicated than that. I should not try to discuss China policy on television within ten minutes. ‘
A White House spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment by The Post.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken specifically agreed with outgoing Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo during his confirmation hearings last month in identifying the Chinese government’s treatment of Uighur Muslims as a ‘genocide’, saying that ‘ there was a strong and long two-party commitment to Taiwan … [and] the commitment to Taiwan is something we hold very strongly for. ”
Biden has not publicly acknowledged that he has received a congratulatory call from the President of Taiwan.