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China throws support for Philippines’ war on drugs, tells UN body to stop prejudice


China on Tuesday threw its support  for the Philippine government's controversial anti-drug campaign and urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to stop its "prejudices" on member countries. 

In a statement delivered before the 44th session of the UNHRC, China said it has a positive assessment of the  efforts and achievements of the administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in “promoting economic development, eliminating poverty and ensuring people’s human rights.”

“We support the Philippine government's law enforcement actions to fight drug crimes and maintain its security and social order,” China said.

“China has always advocated dialogue and cooperation among parties to address differences in the field of human rights. We are against using country-specific resolutions to exercise pressure on member states,” it added.

During the UNHRC’s 41st session, China also noted that it voted against the  resolution to probe the killings and human rights abuses in the Philippines.

“In our view, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should stick to the principles of impartiality and objectivity in its work, respect efforts made by member states to promote and protect human rights, attach importance to the authoritative information provided by the member states’ government, do away with prejudices and prejudgment and engage in constructive dialogue and cooperation with the member states’ government,” it said.

Critics have repeatedly slammed Duterte's now almost four-year-old administration for its pivot to China, despite promising to adopt an independent foreign policy.

In July 2019, the UNHRC voted to set up an investigation into the thousands of killings in Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs.”

A resolution, led by Iceland, was adopted at the forum in Geneva by a vote of 18 countries in favor and 14 against, including China, with 15 abstentions, including Japan. -MDM, GMA News

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