China criticizes Canada's 'double standards' on human rights after sanctions – National
China accuses Canada of hypocrisy in criticizing Beijing's human rights record, pointing to the problems the nation faces.
The setback comes after Ottawa sanctioned eight Chinese officials accused of “human rights abuses” against ethnic and religious minorities, and expressed concerns about democracy in Hong Kong.
Ottawa issued a statement last month citing reports of arbitrary and violent detention of Uyghur people, as well as repression of Tibetan and Falun Gong workers.
Global Affairs Canada also says it is “disappointing” that authorities are granting international benefits to Hong Kong democracy activists and former law enforcement officials in the region, including Canadians.
Beijing says those claims are baseless and has allowed groups and activists in Canada to represent minorities in China, preventing citizens from having any contact with these activists.
Since then, Chinese media have repeatedly called out Canada for its treatment of the Chinese, saying Ottawa is hypocritical.
“Canada is not in a position to teach others about human rights,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a Dec. 11 press conference, according to the official version.
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“Even today, Aboriginal Canadians still face racial discrimination and unfair treatment. Instead of dealing with it, Canada chooses to insult and insult other countries.”
Mao added that “China has achieved great progress in human rights” which “no one without bigotry can deny.”
A day later, he added that “this whole thing is an ugly, hypocritical political stunt by some Canadian politicians under the pretext of human rights, to make an inexplicable agenda and please the US”
China's embassy in Ottawa has been amplifying those messages on social media, including a political cartoon from state-run news channel CGTN showing a beaver with a broken house telling a panda with a nice house that it has cracks.
“Canada turns a blind eye to systematic discrimination and mistreatment of Indigenous peoples, yet lies and vilifies China's human rights progress,” reads the cartoon's caption. “Its constant political manipulation of human rights issues is nothing but hypocrisy of double standards.”
In a repeated assessment of human rights issues in Canada, the United Nations noted progress made in Aboriginal rights and housing, while urging more.
The November 2023 review called on Canadian governments to end human rights abuses by Canadian mining companies abroad and the overrepresentation of minors in prison and child welfare. It also called on Canada to better respect Aboriginal people's rights to release consent, both in advance and in detail.
An inspection by the same organization in China in January 2024 revealed that the country has improved its policies for women and children, but urged the government to “ensure that all prisoners are legally accounted for, allowed access to their families and kept in legally recognized facilities.” .”
It urged China to “respect the rights of freedom of religion or belief, opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and culture, including for Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other minorities” and said the anti-terrorism laws “are inconsistent with international human rights law and standards,” including in Hong Kong.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
