I think Western critics of repression in Tibet and Xinjiang were taken seriously by Chinese diplomats. Especially in 2020/21. Get past the shrill prattle of wolf warriors, and you'll find the underlying belief that human rights critics were a trojan horse to dislodge China from key positions within international bodies. Especially at the U.N. where they made a show of telling the Saudis "you guys are next in line if human rights dictate who gets what". European MEPs decide to kill the CAI over forced labour in Xinjiang after all, so I guess people in Beijing are careful about it.