China and the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council: Is China Cooperative and Can They Work Better With Each Other?

The Special Procedures is a unique human rights monitoring mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council. China has a long history of interacting with Special Procedures, yet, little research has been done on how these interactions impact both entities. Compared to other UN human rights mechanisms, China seems to have a particularly challenging relationship with the Special Procedures. Both sides have publicly expressed complaints against each other. As such, this study intends to look into the details of the interaction between China and the Special Procedures through social and political contexts, with the purpose of finding if and how they can work better together. The article starts with a historic review of China’s participation in the UN human rights system. Within this context, the article investigates whether China has been cooperative through examining its interactions with the Special Procedures in two major methods: the communications and country visits. The article, then, examines what the Special Procedures and China expect from each other and ends with analysis on whether both sides can improve their cooperation with each other and how to achieve that goal.