Overview

The government continued to enforce repressive laws and policies that restricted the right to freedom of expression and other human rights. Human rights defenders were arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to long prison terms. Activists living overseas faced threats and intimidation. New restrictions on religious freedom were introduced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and prosecutions of intellectuals, artists and other Uyghur cultural figures continued. Chinese authorities’ repression of Tibetan culture and language intensified. Renewable energy generation capacity was expanded but China remained heavily reliant on coal. A new national security law further restricted civic space in Hong Kong where dozens of pro-democracy activists were sentenced to long prison terms.