SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: EAST ASIA SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: EAST ASIA TABLE 20 Status of Accession of International Human Rights Treaties in East Asia Country People’s Republic of China Stateless 1 Stateless 2 Refugee ICCPR ICESCR ICERD CRC CEDAW ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ⛔* ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ * signed, but not ratified ✅ ⛔ Signifies that the country is a party to the convention Signifies that the country is not a party to the convention migrant children, adopted children and children whose birth would put a family above the limit of the locally “sanctioned” family size”.900 The Committee expressed concerns regarding family household registration (hukou), which birth registration relates to and can be a barrier for registration for children of migrant workers.901 It was also recommended that China abandon the hukou system to improve access to birth registration.902 The hukou system is a form of civil registration which also acts as the legal basis for personal identification.903 Children inherit the same hukou location and categorization as their parents and are not able to permanently reside or exercise a variety of rights outside of their hukou location.904 The hukou system is a form of civil registration which also acts as the legal basis for personal identification. Children inherit the same hukou location and categorization as their parents and are not able to permanently reside or exercise a variety of rights outside of their hukou location. Population Reported stateless persons China has not reported any stateless persons to UNHCR since it began compiling such data in 2019. UNHCR has noted China as a country which has information regarding stateless people but no reliable data.905 82 Stateless 1 - 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons Stateless 2 - 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness Persons at risk of statelessness Several independent articles have examined stateless populations and those at risk of statelessness within China, which include children born in China to North Korean women, foreign spouses and children excluded from the hukou household registration system.906 As many as 30,000 children born in the territory of China to undocumented North Korean mothers (some of whom have been trafficked into China) and Chinese fathers are at risk of statelessness as they remain unregistered at birth and in the household registration system.907 Despite having the right to citizenship through their fathers under the citizenship law of China,908 children frequently remain unregistered due to their mother’s undocumented status and potential deportation and its repercussions on the mother and child.909 The Uyghur population, a Turkic and majority Muslim ethnic group predominantly residing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, termed by activists as ‘occupied East Turkistan’,910 in northwest China, continues to face a severe risk of statelessness due to the Chinese government's systematic denial of passport renewal for Uyghurs living overseas.911 Other ethnic Muslim minorities, such as Kazakhs and Uzbeks, have also faced similar systemic discrimination.912 More than 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Uzbeks have been arbitrarily detained by the Chinese government since 2017.913 The government insists that Uyghurs return to China for passport renewal, and STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC (DETAILED VERSION) The Uyghur population, a Turkic and majority Muslim ethnic group predominantly residing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, termed by activists as ‘occupied East Turkistan’, in northwest China, continues to face a severe risk of statelessness due to the Chinese government's systematic denial of passport renewal for Uyghurs living overseas. The Tibetan population of China, historically having faced occupation and systemic discrimination, also experiences a significant risk of statelessness. in regions marked by protests and dissent over China’s occupation of Tibet.921 Undetermined nationalities this is a dangerous proposition considering there are many reported forced disappearances.914 Those who do not return also face living abroad without citizenship, severely impacting their livelihoods, freedom of movement, and ability to establish new lives outside China.915 This denial of passports is a strategy of control by the Chinese government that violates international human rights standards, rendering Uyghurs stateless in countries where they cannot apply for refugee status.916 Hui peoples, another Muslim ethnic minority group, have also been recognized as facing systemic discrimination when attempting to apply for passports.917 The Chinese government's discriminatory policies, treating Muslim ethnic minorities as threats to national security, further increases the risk of statelessness among these populations in China.918 The Tibetan population of China, historically having faced occupation and systemic discrimination, also experiences a significant risk of statelessness.919 The Chinese government's stringent control over Tibetans' movements involves the systematic denial and recall of passports. Gaining access to a passport is an incredibly hard task for Tibetans. Only a minimal number of Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas have been issued passports, and many have experienced the confiscation of their existing ones.920 The denial of passport issuance is not only an individual punishment but also extends to families and friends, especially those associated with political prisoners or individuals involved in protests. This denial often comes with increased militarization and security measures, particularly The scale of statelessness in China is uncertain, however the requirement to register children and maintain registration in the household registration system (hukou) leaves millions with an uncertain status. China’s 2010 census showed that at least 13 million children lacked hukou registration, preventing them from accessing the full rights of citizens.922 This group covers both children born to irregular migrants (discussed above) as well as those born outside of China’s one-child policy prior to 2016.923 Additionally, in February 2020, the National Bureau of Statistics in China reported that 280 million people lived outside of the jurisdiction of their household registration – which limits the location where one can live and work — limiting their ability to access government services and education for children and enforce employment and labour rights.924 While this cohort may officially be considered Chinese nationals, their ability to access any of the accompanying rights is fundamentally limited. Causes of Statelessness Lack of legal safeguards against childhood statelessness A child born in the territory of China to two stateless parents or parents with undetermined nationality who have settled in China will be a citizen of China.925 There are no provisions specifically addressing foundlings in the territory. REPORT 2024 83