Leiden University Student Repository

Gestel, Billy van (2020)

The Dutch Government’s Response to Uyghur Human Rights Violations by the People’s Republic of China

Master thesis | Asian Studies (60 EC) (MA)

This thesis explores the Dutch response to the human rights violations committed against the Uyghur people by the People’s Republic of China. By comparing the PRC’s human rights violations to those committed by Myanmar and Venezuela, it contextualizes the response of the Dutch government. This research observes that the while the PRC has committed all major offenses of which Myanmar and Venezuela have been accused, and for which sanctions have been imposed upon the two states, the Dutch government appears unwilling to impose similar restrictions upon China. Though the assessment of government discourse and the incorporation of threat perception theory as a possible principle for explaining this inconsistency, the paper finds that China’s status as a great power, primarily its economic might, has kept the Dutch government from risking the ire of the PRC as long as it is not guaranteed to have the support of its allies in the European Union.

PRC

Uyghurs

Human Rights

Dutch Politics

Author

Gestel, Billy van

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Politics, Society and Economy of East Asia

Supervisors

Schneider, Florian

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en