Uyghurs, Tibet, Hong Kong Activists’ Joint Protests to ‘Expose China, Xi Jinping’ | Exclusive on US APEC Meet

Ahead of the APEC convention in San Francisco on November 15, which Chinese president Xi Jinping will attend, activists representing Students for Free Tibet, Uyghurs and Hong Kong Democracy Movement have planned a joint protest against Chinese atrocities.

The main event of the summit will be on the sidelines — US President Joe Biden’s meet with Jinping, in the backdrop of the frosty relationship between China and the US and global turmoil from the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. APEC stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

APEC is a forum to promote trade, investment and economic development among nations around the Pacific Ocean. The annual leaders’ conference brings together heads of nations and other top economic and diplomatic leaders. White House aides say the goal for this year’s summit is to try to make APEC economies more resilient, particularly in the face of growing climate issues and following a global pandemic that killed millions of people and strained supply chains.

The protesters, meanwhile, want to make the world aware of the disappearances, detentions and changing demography tactics of the Chinese. Atrocities by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have been rising in Tibet, with over 80 detention centres covering most towns and villages. The Uyghur groups have also been facing similar problems.

THE HONG KONG DEMOCRACY COUNCIL SAYS

According to the Hong Kong Democracy Council statement, “Hong Kong was turned upside down by excessive police violence, incessant political repression, and a weaponized judiciary system. Xi’s ambition for a globalized authoritarian regime does not stop at the 1,688 political prisoners in Hong Kong, he continues to wage transnational repression and foreign influence campaigns internationally, including in the United States. President Biden must not give in to short-term economic benefits and illusionary cooperation. Xi – an architect of genocide – is not to be trusted.”

WHAT STUDENTS FOR FREE TIBET SAY

Pema Doma, Students for Free Tibet’s Executive Director, said: “Since 1949, the Chinese government has tried to exterminate the Tibetan people through invasion and torture camps. Over the last 10 years of Xi Jinping’s reign, he has made it his goal to use China’s economic and technological resources to destroy the fabric of our identity through his policy of Sinicization. It is clear that delinking human rights from economic engagement has only better equipped China with the tools to commit genocide. The Biden Administration must make human rights a non-negotiable centerpiece of any further economic engagement with China.”

UYGHURS SAY

The statement by the Uyghurs said: “Xi Jinping, the leader of the genocidal regime in China, does not deserve a red-carpet reception. Releasing innocent Uyghurs from the concentration camps should have been a pre-condition from this Administration for Xi’s arrival in the US. We should not allow Xi to whitewash China’s atrocities against Uyghurs and do business as usual.”

With Agencies Inputs