China during Baerbock visit: Don't lecture us on human rights

China does not want to be lectured on human rights, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said during a visit with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

After talks with Baerbock in Beijing, Qin Gang told the press, "What China needs least is a teacher from the West."

He rejected Baerbock's earlier criticism of the human rights situation in China, saying that every state has its own circumstances and cultural and historical background.

When it comes to human rights, there are "no uniform standards in the world," he said.

Baerbock however said that there are indeed "common standards" for human rights in the world and reminded Qin Gang of the UN Charter and the UN Convention on Human Rights.

The Charter contains "universal" human rights to which all UN members are bound, she said.

Earlier, Baerbock had expressed concern that the space for civil society and human rights in China was being curtailed.

In response to accusations of persecution, especially of the Muslim Uyghurs in the north-western region of Xinjiang, China's foreign minister said that this was not a human rights issue, but was about the fight against radicalism and separatism.

Now, however, the situation in Xinjiang is "stable". The people live a "very happy life," he said.

There are anti-Chinese forces that are using the Xinjiang issue to contain China's rise in the world. They also want to disrupt the situation in Xinjiang, he said.

Foreign forces should stay out of the region, Qin Gang said.