On the morning of 9 February 2009, the Working Group on the  UPR examined the human rights situation in China. Mr Li Bao Dong, the Permanent Representative of China to the UN in Geneva, led the Chinese delegation. Most comments and recommendations were exclusively positive, with only a few States raising controversial issues. Questions and recommendations focused on the following key issues:Some States underscored the importance of respecting religious freedoms and the rights of minorities, including their cultural rights.

On the morning of 9 February 2009, the Working Group on the  UPR examined the human rights situation in China. Mr Li Bao Dong, the Permanent Representative of China to the UN in Geneva, led the Chinese delegation. Most comments and recommendations were exclusively positive, with only a few States raising controversial issues. Questions and recommendations focused on the following key issues:Some States underscored the importance of respecting religious freedoms and the rights of minorities, including their cultural rights. They particularly highlighted the rights of Tibetans and the Uighurs in Xinjiang. It was notable that some States immediately rejected the mention of Tibet (officially known as TARC) by their peers as ‘politicisation', and sought to defend the Chinese position in relation to these regions. In its answers, China ‘regretted that some States chose to politicise the UPR' and that it regarded Tibet (officially known as TARC) as an inalienable part of China

• While China was commended for its efforts in implementing rights enshrined in the ICESCR, a number of states encouraged China to take steps to ratify the ICCPR and to harmonise its domestic legislation with objects of this Convention
• Some States welcomed the decline of executions stemming from capital punishment and recommended China work towards abolishing it entirely. They also recommended limiting the crimes punishable by the death penalty, while others called for a moratorium with a view to its early abolition.
• A few States urged China to respect the right to freedom of expression and called for an end to all instances of harassment and unlawful detention of journalists and human rights defenders
• States also raised concern about the treatment of detainees including access to legal representation, visitors and freedom from the abuse of authorities. In addition, the practice of 're-education through labour' was widely condemned. However, some States went a long way seeking to justify the practice as a good sanction
• States commended China's strategy to alleviate poverty, particularly in rural areas; it's efforts to provide universal education; the significant decline in the infant mortality rate; the rise in the literacy rate and the marked reduction in poverty. Numerous states asked China to share its knowledge in these areas with other developing countries
• A number of States welcomed the National Plan of Action for Human Rights to be adopted in the coming years and underscored the importance of safeguarding the rights of women and the rights of the child in this strategy

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