- UN Special Report: Torture in Xinjiang and Tibet
- China’s influence on Open RAN
- Jack Ma’s concession
- Joint military exercises with Russia
- Officials are to buy houses
- Automakers continue to lose ground
- Uyghur lobby sues in Argentina
- Christian Soffel – Confucius expert misses the coffee breaks
Eager eyes are currently turning to Geneva – even before her departure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet promised the publication of her controversial China report. Bachelet has barely two weeks left to do so. More than a few observers fear that she has fallen for the Chinese narrative. Her report will show if that is true – when it finally comes out.
Another, no less important UN report is already making serious accusations against the People’s Republic. The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, considers it proven that “forms of slavery” occur both in the autonomous region of Xinjiang and Tibet. Marcel Grzanna took a closer look at the document. The report bluntly states exactly those accusations that China has always rejected
The involvement of Huawei or ZTE in the European 5G network expansion is an ongoing issue. In the past, it was primarily the distribution network between the stations and the providers’ backbone lines that were considered critical. However, since the Huawei debate and with 5G, the focus has begun to shift to the mobile network‘s endpoints, writes Falk Steiner. One idea to ensure more security at the endpoints is Open RAN, a system of predefined, standardized radio network components and software. Of all parties, Chinese players are currently shaping the Open RAN Alliance. The EU Commission and the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) are raising concerns.
Jack Ma apparently wanted to alleviate concerns among authorities. Our Beijing team reports that Ma wants to transfer a large part of his voting shares in Ant to executives to clear the way for an IPO. However, this is not only good news for the group.
Amelie Richter

Feature
‘Forms of slavery’ in Xinjiang and Tibet

A few days after the solemnly presented ratification of international conventions against forced labor, the People’s Republic of China is facing serious accusations by a UN body. A Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Tomoya Obokata, considers it proven that “forms of slavery” occur both in the autonomous region of Xinjiang and Tibet.
According to a 20-page report released Tuesday, “independent academic research, open sources, testimonies of victims, consultations with stakeholders, and accounts provided by the Government,” justified that conclusion. Even more, “excessive surveillance, abusive living and working conditions, restriction of movement through internment, threats, physical and/or sexual violence and other inhuman or degrading treatment” could constitute crimes against humanity, it said.
The drastic conclusion of the Japanese Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery is part of a paper that deals not only with forced labor in China but also in other parts of the world. It will serve as a basis for discussion at the Human Rights Council for its 51st session in Geneva in September.
- Civil Society
- Forced Labor
- Human Rights
- Tibet
- Uyghurs
- Work
- Xinjiang
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