The EU Monday expressed concerns about what it called the “very serious human rights situation” in China, particularly in Xingjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong during the the 39th session of the Joint Human Rights Dialogue in Chongqing in China.

The EU highlighted the “vulnerable situation” of people of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities in China and cited reports concerning cases of unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment. It also noted that several human rights defenders and lawyers have been “deprived of their liberty” for having promoted and protected human rights.

China has been facing significant international criticism for its treatment of Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang province, where it is alleged that many Uighurs have been unlawfully detained and forced into camps or prisons. UN concluded in a 2022 report that the ethnic Muslim minority has been subjected to forced labour which constituted severe human rights violations.

Amnesty International has also documented human rights abuses in the Tibet region. The Chinese government has reportedly imposed stringent measures to isolate Tibet from the rest of the world, thereby limiting interaction and communication with the outside world.

Furthermore, the EU emphasized the autonomy promised to Hong Kong has been increasingly compromised particularly following the enactment of the National Security Law. The legislation allegedly undermines the freedoms and rights of the people of Hong Kong and virtually brings them under the control of mainland China.

The EU called upon China to make immediate release of people unduly detained by the authorities and asked China to reassess its national security framework to ensure that it aligns with international human rights law.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China is willing to cooperate on human rights issues with equality of nations and mutual respect. Lin further added that China objected to the EU’s politicization and double standards on human rights issues, and the EU’s interference in China’s foreign affairs.

The dialogue was accompanied by a visit to Tibet between 13 and 15 June which comprised visits to numerous sites to gain an understanding of the ground realities of Tibet.

The human rights dialogue between the EU and the Chinese government had been suspended since 2019 and was resumed in 2022. In February, ten human rights groups wrote to the EU to suspend the human rights dialogue until China shows some progress and brings some tangible results. Despite this, the EU went ahead with this year’s dialogue and plans to hold the next Human Rights Dialogue in 2025.