Topjor Tsultrim | Students for a Free Tibet | topjortsultrim@studentsforafreetibet.org | (610) 745-1022
Huen Lam | Hong Kong Democracy Council | huen.lam@hkdc.us | (202) 813-9930
Elfidar Iltebir | Uyghur American Association| elfidar@uyghuraa.org | (703) 622-6178
Washington, D.C. (Nov. 10, 2023) — Concurrent to the upcoming meeting between US President Joe Biden and CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, cross-movement allies will be protesting against Xi on Nov. 15. This action, which takes place on the same day as the Biden-Xi meeting, follows a Nov. 7 letter from 59 organizations calling on President Biden to prioritize human rights during his meeting with Xi Jinping.
In response to Xi’s appearance at the APEC meeting, the Hong Kong Democracy Council, Students for a Free Tibet, and the Uyghur American Association issue the following statements:
From Pema Doma, Students for a Free Tibet’s Executive Director:
”Since 1949, the Chinese government has tried to exterminate the Tibetan people through invasion and torture camps. Over the last 10 years of Xi Jinping’s reign, he has made it his goal to use China’s economic and technological resources to destroy the fabric of our identity through his policy of Sinicization. It is clear that delinking human rights from economic engagement has only better equipped China with the tools to commit genocide. The Biden Administration must make human rights a non-negotiable centerpiece of any further economic engagement with China.”
From Anna Kwok, HKDC’s Executive Director:
“The last time Xi set foot in the United States, Hong Kong was devoid of the horrors of the National Security Law. In just six years, Hong Kong was turned upside down by excessive police violence, incessant political repression, and a weaponized judiciary system. Xi’s ambition for a globalized authoritarian regime does not stop at the 1,688 political prisoners in Hong Kong, he continues to wage transnational repression and foreign influence campaigns internationally, including in the United States. President Biden must not give in to short-term economic benefits and illusionary cooperation. Xi – an architect of genocide – is not to be trusted.”
From Elfidar Iltebir, the Uyghur American Association’s President:
”Xi Jinping, the leader of the genocidal regime in China, does not deserve a red-carpet reception. Releasing innocent Uyghurs from the concentration camps should have been a pre-condition from this Administration for Xi’s arrival in the US. We should not allow Xi to whitewash China’s atrocities against Uyghurs and do business as usual.”
Notes:
Hong Kong Democracy Council is a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan, nonprofit organization for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and Hong Kongers in the United States
Students for a Free Tibet works in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom and independence. We are a chapter-based network of young people and activists around the world.
Uyghur American Association is a community-based human rights organization serving the Uyghur Americans since 1998.