China not threatens to halt vaccine supplies to Ukraine over its support for Uyghurs – embassy

The Chinese Embassy in Ukraine says Beijing has not pressured Kyiv into withdrawing its support for a call for more scrutiny of human rights in China’s western region of Xinjiang by threatening to halt vaccine supplies to the country.

"China does not provide vaccines or other anti-epidemic drugs to other countries in exchange for certain benefits, does not have any geopolitical goals, and does not put forward any political conditions ... China will continue to supply vaccines to Ukraine," the press service of the embassy reported.

The embassy also called a statement at the UN Human Rights Council that criticized Beijing's actions against the Uyghurs as "interference of a small number of Western countries in China's internal affairs" - and Ukraine's withdrawal of its signature "just testifies to non-interference."

“The decision of the Ukrainian side demonstrated its independent and fact-based position, which corresponds to the essence of the UN Charter and the basic principles of international relations, which we also welcome,” the embassy noted.

On Friday, June 25, the Associated Press reported, citing its diplomatic sources, that Ukraine had pulled its name off the list of states supporting a document of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, urging China to allow immediate access for independent observers to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This allegedly happened after China had threatened to block the supply of at least 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the situation.

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