China rejects UN report on human rights in Xinjiang province

Beijing, Sep 1 (Prensa Latina) China rejected the report published by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, asking to investigate alleged abuses against ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and considered it an instrument for political manipulation.

The report calls for ‘urgent attention’ to the ‘discriminatory detention’ and ‘serious human rights violations and torture patterns in recent years’ of Uyghurs and other Xinjiang Muslims in 2017-2019 and in the context of China’s anti-terrorism campaign.

Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that it is an invalid document because it is a sample of disinformation and serves the interests of the United States and its Western allies to contain China.

The document violates the responsibilities and principles of objectivity of the office of the United Nations Organization for Human Rights, he said.

He also mentioned the visits of diplomats from many countries, including Muslims, to the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and the letters sent to Bachelet by more than 60 countries opposing the report.

Wang also stressed that residents of the province enjoy a happy, stable life with the benefits of economic development, and predicted that any move to use the issue to discredit China will fail.

Beijing rejects allegations about existence of re-education camps and the mistreatment of ethnic minorities by the Chinese government, stating that on the contrary policies applied in Xinjiang seek to combat terrorism and radicalization, but also help the socioeconomic development of its population.