Parliament condemns ‘severe’ abuse against Uyghur

Parliament has unanimously declared that ‘‘severe human rights abuses’’ are occurring against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, China.

A parliamentary motion about China’s actions in Xinjiang was agreed to by all MPs after a debate in the House yesterday. The statement called on the Government ‘‘to work with all relevant instruments of international law to bring these abuses to an end’’.

‘‘The New Zealand Government, in concert with others, will continue to call upon China in the strongest terms . . . to uphold its human rights obligations,’’ Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in Parliament.

The Labour Party sought to have the word ‘‘genocide’’ removed from the initial motion put forward by the ACT Party, a move that disappointed Uyghur people in New Zealand.

Similar motions in the parliaments of the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands have condemned the abuse as ‘‘genocide’’, but the statements were not supported by each parliament’s government. A comparable effort in Australia’s federal parliament failed.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was not in the House for the debate, said she was pleased that a motion gained the support of Parliament. ‘‘I’m pleased that, unlike many other countries . . . we have a statement that is strong and that is clear.’’

In the House, ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden said passing the motion was ‘‘not a criticism of the country of China’’.

‘‘It is not a criticism of the Chinese people. It is certainly not a criticism of our Chinese-Kiwi neighbours. In my experience, it is that last group who are often the most strident in warning us about the regime that this debate is about, the Chinese Communist Party,’’ she said.

‘‘We know that a genocide is taking place, the evidence is voluminous ... To take one example, there has been mass imposition of contraceptive devices upon Uyghur women, and forced sterilisation.’’

Van Velden said it was ‘‘intolerable’’ that Parliament would soften its stance out of fear.

National Party trade spokesman Todd Muller said New Zealand had strong commercial and cultural connections with China, and underneath these were strong personal relationships.

‘‘It is the depth of those personal relationships that will guide us through this difficult conversation.’’

Green Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman said it was disappointing to hear the leadership of both major parties speak of trade with China when discussing the prospect of a ‘‘genocide’’ motion.

The wording of the motion was debated on Tuesday. The final statement was: ‘‘This House is gravely concerned about the possible severe human rights abuses taking place against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’’.

Yesterday, van Velden sought for the word ‘‘possible’’ to be removed from the motion. No MPs objected to the change.