38 countries joined Germany at the United Nations this week in condemning China's human rights abuses in the northwest region of Xinjiang, where the government is engaged in a sweeping campaign of demographic genocide against Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities.
Why it matters: Statements like this one provide a sense of which countries are willing to challenge China over human rights, and which are lining up behind Beijing.
The other side: Cuba made a joint statement on behalf of 45 countries expressing support for China's so-called "counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures in Xinjiang" and opposing "the politicization of human rights issues and double standards."
The trend: The momentum appears to be against China. Last October, 16 fewer countries signed onto a similar statement condemning the mass detentions last October, while six more were willing to defend Beijing.
Full list
Denounced China (new additions in bold):
- Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., U.S.
Defended China in 2020:
- Angola, Bahrain, Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Kiribati, Laos, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, State of Palestine, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, UAE, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
Defended China in 2019, but not 2020:
- Algeria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Kuwait, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, Serbia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zambia.
Go deeper: The 53 countries supporting China's crackdown on Hong Kong
