Xi Jinping claims to support 'equal rights' at World Economic Forum

Chinese President Xi Jinping said he supporters "equal rights," among other things, at the World Economic Forum on Monday.

"We should recognize that with the growth of developing countries, global prosperity and stability will be put on a more solid footing, and developed countries will stand to benefit from such growth," Xi said. "The international community should keep its eyes on the long run, honour its commitment to provide necessary support to developing countries, and safeguard their legitimate development interests."

"Equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules should be strengthened so that all countries will benefit from the opportunities and fruits of development," he said.

The comments were made for the World Economic Forum's 2021 Davos Agenda, with Xi speaking his remarks on the first day of the five day conference. The World Economic Forum uploaded the clip about China seeking the preservation of equal rights to Twitter.

The post sparked much mockery from viewers, who were quick to point out the lack of equal rights and opportunities in China, and the CCP's oppression and human rights violations in its own nation.

China is widely recognized as among the worst human rights abusers in the world. The Uyghur, Tibetan, and Mongolian ethnic groups which populate the northern areas of the country are subject to intense cultural suppression, with the Chinese treatment of Uyghurs having been described as a "genocide" by the American and Canadian governments.

Uyghurs in recent years have been rounded up into Chinese concentration camps where they are sexually abused, enslaved, and forcibly sterilized, among other torturous policies. The goal of the Chinese government is to make the Uyghur population become essentially Han Chinese. The non-Chinese ethnic group dominates the region of East Turkestan along China's border with Central Asia, an important trade route for China.

The Chinese government is also known to discriminate on the basis of religion, frequently demolishing religious temples such as churches and mosques, and allowing some operational houses of worship to remain open if they include propaganda in support of President Xi.

Xi discussed other issues at the WEF, warning viewers about the need to avoid what he described as a "new cold war." He took aim at American foreign policy designed to build a coalition of partners to resist the influence of China, which has rapidly ascended on the world stage over the past two decades.

He suggested more global governance as a potential solution to tensions between China and other countries. China has taken a powerful role in a variety of international organizations including the WEF. Most notably, the Chinese government has a strong influence over the World Health Organization, which has caused the international organization to draw the ire of the United States, eventually pulling out of the WHO entirely.

The WEF itself has faced its fair share of criticism over its promotion of policies which some have described as dystopian. In a video uploaded to Twitter, the WEF suggested that by 2030, people would "own nothing" yet "be happy," and that people would only rent things they wanted to have.