OTHER KE Y DEVELOPMENTS Alarmingly, China also has been exporting both its internet govshould precede respect for individual rights, including the right to ernance model and advanced surveillance technology and equipment religious freedom. Additionally, following its election as a UN Human to countries—such as Belarus, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe—where Rights Council member in October 2020, China attempted to frame repressive governments actively persecute and oppress human rights international human rights law as merely a matter of “state-to-state” activists and political opponents. Honed and refined at home—sperelations by emphasizing so-called “mutually beneficial cooperation” cifically in the repression of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang and “constructive dialogue,” thereby downplaying states’ responsiand Tibet—China’s digital authoritarianism has become attractive bility to protect human rights. By doing so, China not only attempted to repressive regimes worldwide that may seek to replicate a “China to minimize international scrutiny over its human rights abuses, but model” in their own countries that could result in religious freedom also to further its increasing efforts to promote a distorted concept of violations. Chinese technology companies that have intimate ties to human rights to other countries in the international fora. Those efforts the CCP, such as Huawei and ZTE, play an important role in implecould have far-reaching implications around the world, particularly in menting and deploying such technology abroad. countries and regions where authoritarian regimes suppress human China’s coercive policies at home have negative transnational rights and religious freedom. implications for religious freedom. In some cases, such policies For example, in October 2020, Germany led 39 countries at amount to the active aiding and abetting of religious freedom viothe UN to condemn jointly China’s abusive policies toward ethnic lations in other countries. Uyghur, Kazakh, and other Turkic Muslims and religious minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet. In response, China in foreign countries reported in rallied 45 countries to support 2020 that Chinese authorities its abusive policies, including harassed them through messome with records of severe saging apps and phone calls, human rights abuses, such as China not only attempted to and by targeting their relatives North Korea, Russia, Iran, and minimize international scrutiny over its back home, to silence and supEritrea, along with Organization press their speech and activities of Islamic Cooperation memhuman rights abuses, but also to further overseas. Chinese authorities bers such as Pakistan, the United its increasing efforts to promote a also rescinded their passports to Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. distorted concept of human rights. . . . lure them back to China where China repor tedly pressured they faced persecution, such as some Western diplomats not to internment. In addition, Chinese support the statement made by authorities continued to carry out those 39 countries. Moreover, it a policy of forced repatriation of North Korean refugees in China who has exercised its veto power as a permanent member of the UN faced severe persecution upon their return to North Korea, in many Security Council to protect Burma from international scrutiny over its cases due to their exposure and connection to Christianity and to brutal treatment of Rohingya Muslims. South Korean Christian missionaries who play a crucial role in assisting China is unapologetic as it increasingly disregards international them to escape North Korea. rules, norms, and criticism of its actions and violations of human rights. Lastly, the Chinese government and its allies continued to Indeed, if left unchallenged and unchecked, China will continue to weaken and subvert the international human rights system and norms erode and undermine the universal human rights system with an within the United Nations (UN) by arguing that economic progress emboldened sense of impunity. 90 U S C I R F | A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 2 1