Based on years of activity at the UN Human Rights Council, this essay exposes China’s growing influence inside the United Nations, the suppression of human rights NGOs and independent media, surveillance of critics of China, and the true nature of Chinese NGOs operating within the UN. It warns not only against anti-Japanese leftist forces, but also against Chinese propaganda operations conducted on the UN stage.

April 21, 2020
Amid all this, the author noticed the presence of people inside the United Nations, either staff members who appeared to be Chinese or government officials, pointing cameras or video cameras at him.
What one feels firsthand from continuing to visit the United Nations is that China has begun to manipulate the UN Human Rights Council as it pleases.
This is a republication of a chapter I sent out on January 8 under that title.
The following is the continuation of the previous chapter.
Suppression of Chinese NGOs and media.
What one feels firsthand from continuing to visit the United Nations is that China has begun to manipulate the UN Human Rights Council as it pleases.
In particular, with regard to the security section inside the United Nations, it can already be said to have fallen into China’s hands.
Let me explain the reason by giving two concrete examples.
The first is the movement to exclude human rights NGOs that exist to save people who are being directly or indirectly oppressed by China.
Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, a friendly organization of the UN NGO International Career Support Association to which the author belongs, went to UN Headquarters in New York on April 22, 2017, in order to participate in the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, where human rights concerning minorities are discussed.
While he was in the cafeteria inside the UN, he was surrounded by four plainclothes UN security officers.
Without being told the reason, his entry pass was taken away, and he was prohibited from entering the UN.
Mr. Isa is a human rights activist who has been appealing to governments around the world, including the United Nations and the European Parliament, about the Chinese government’s oppression of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
For the Chinese government, he is an extremely inconvenient person.
For that reason, the Chinese government labeled him a “terrorist” and had him placed on an international wanted list, a red notice, through Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization.
At that time, the president of Interpol was China’s Meng Hongwei.
Afterward, Interpol lifted the international wanted notice against Mr. Isa.
However, immediately afterward, in October 2018, Mr. Meng was suddenly detained by Chinese authorities, and his whereabouts became unknown.
It is said that he was released, but his subsequent whereabouts remain unknown.
The second example concerns Bilal Baloch, a reporter for the independent media outlet Bolan Times, which had been following various movements at the United Nations Office at Geneva.
In 2017, like Mr. Isa, he too was refused renewal of his UN entry badge.
He had written many critical articles about China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Without being told the reason, he was placed in a situation where he could neither enter the United Nations nor conduct reporting there.
This is the present reality.
In the Human Rights Council, which exists to protect human rights, such high-handed conduct is being carried out without even stating the charges.
The author himself has also become a target.
Over the past six years, he has held many side events inside the United Nations to discuss Japan and other issues.
In addition, he has been invited as a speaker to side events organized by NGOs with which he has cooperative relationships.
Amid all this, the author noticed the presence of people inside the United Nations, either staff members who appeared to be Chinese or government officials, pointing cameras or video cameras at him.
Naturally, since he gives speeches at side events criticizing China, he is closely watched by China.
At the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019, the author invited two activists from Hong Kong and held a side event to appeal to the world about the Chinese government’s oppression of citizens in Hong Kong and the human rights issues occurring there.
During that period, he constantly felt the watchful eye of the Chinese authorities inside the United Nations.
At a bus stop at the station in Geneva, while waiting for a bus together with these activists from Hong Kong, he noticed a man on the other side of the road pointing a camera at them.
The author immediately and silently turned his back to the man and asked the two Hong Kong activists, “I am going to turn to the left, so please watch the man’s movements.”
From a position with his back turned to the man holding the camera, when the author turned to the left, the man moved to the left.
Conversely, when he turned to the right, the man moved to the right, and it was confirmed that he was pointing the camera at them.
The Hong Kong activists seemed extremely surprised and said, “Things like this really happen, don’t they?”
They had been told in advance about the danger of being followed and so on, but they had been half in doubt.
Hidden cameras.
When staying near Geneva, the author often stays for as long as one month at a time.
For that reason, rather than hotels, he often stays in apartments or lodging facilities that can be rented by the week.
When one is engaged in UN-related activities, one becomes acquainted with intelligence-related people from various countries, and relationships arise.
One such person happened to visit the apartment where the author was staying on a certain Sunday.
But about ten minutes after he entered the room, he began to say this.
“Shun, something is strange about this room. There are three clocks of the same shape in total in the kitchen and living room.”
Indeed, the author knew that there were two standing digital clocks in the living room and one in the kitchen, displaying numbers with blue LED light.
Because he said that, the author picked up one of them and opened the cover.
A microSD card was inserted inside.
When he immediately put it into his computer, ten minutes of their conversation and video had been recorded perfectly.
It is unknown who had planted them, but the author took the three microSD cards and filed a damage report with the police in Geneva.
Later, the police contacted him and told him that the culprit had been arrested and fined.
However, he was not told what kind of person the culprit was.
In addition, over these six years, the author has encountered many things that appear to have been obstruction by China.
Our enemies are not only anti-Japanese leftists who degrade Japan.
They are also the so-called Chinese NGOs that swagger around inside the United Nations as if it belonged to them.
Of course, it is obvious that there are no such things as NGOs in China.
Yet in reality, there are many groups at the United Nations that call themselves Chinese NGOs.
If one looks at the pamphlets and other materials distributed inside the UN by these NGOs, they state that they were issued by the printing bureau of the Chinese government.
They are spreading propaganda exactly as the Chinese government wishes.
Leftist NGOs with abundant funds.
At first, the author visited Geneva as a member of the UN investigation team of the National Movement for the Truth About the Comfort Women, an organization formed to resolve the comfort women issue.
During that investigation, he keenly felt the necessity of continuous activity at the United Nations.
Since then, sometimes as part of an organization and sometimes as an individual, he has participated in various UN meetings.
On the other hand, leftist NGOs such as the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism, which is connected with the Buraku Liberation League, have offices serving as bases in Geneva, with staff permanently stationed there.
It is unclear where they obtain their funds, but the author has heard that they finance themselves by circulating national funds back to themselves.
According to the representative of an NGO that previously worked jointly with this organization, funds were provided by the Japanese government.
It left a strong impression on the author that this representative tilted his head in puzzlement, saying that they were conducting anti-Japanese activity with government money.
Prices in Switzerland are high.
Even a hamburger set at McDonald’s, which could be called the cheapest food, costs around 1,500 yen.
For that reason, the author carries large quantities of instant ramen and retort-pouch foods with him when carrying out his activities.
He does not know how long he can continue his activities under the present conditions.
But it is clear that continuous activity will be necessary from now on as well in order to protect Japan.
He sincerely asks many people to participate and support this effort.