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Xinjiang
ChinaDiplomacy

China would welcome UN Human Rights Council visit ‘because there is no genocide in Xinjiang’

  • In Geneva, Wang Yi denounces ‘sensational claims’ of genocide, forced labour and religious oppression against Uygurs and other ethnic minorities
  • Rights groups say activists and journalists are unable to verify China’s claims because Beijing curbs their travel, interviews and access in Xinjiang

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A man walks past a screen showing images of China’s President Xi Jinping in Kashgar in China’s northwest Xinjiang region. More than 1 million ethnic Uygurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are believed to be held in a network of internment camps that Beijing describes as “vocational education centres”. Photo: AFP
Mimi Lau

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has rejected claims of genocide or oppression in the far western region of Xinjiang and said China would welcome the UN human rights chief to visit the region.

Wang’s statement comes as international pressure mounts over accusations of rights abuses in China.

Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday via video, Wang rejected claims of human rights violations in Xinjiang as slanderous attacks.

“There have never been anything like genocide, forced labour and religious oppression. These sensational claims are rooted in ignorance, prejudice and purely slanderous political hype,” he said.

Human rights groups and UN rights experts have maintained that there are at least 1 million Muslims of ethnic minority background being arbitrarily held in massive internment camps. China has denied the claims, saying it was instead taking measures to combat extremism and provide vocational training.

In January, the US accused China of “genocide and crimes against humanity” for the treatment of Uygurs and other ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang, citing imprisonment, torture and forced labour.

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