UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) chief announced her much awaited visit to China in May including to Xinjiang where Beijing has been accused of committing human rights violations against Uygur Muslims. The UN’s top human rights official had been negotiating with Beijing since September 2018 about a visit to Xinjiang, where over a million mainly Uygur Muslims are alleged to have been held in mass detention camps. The US, the EU and allied countries have alleged that Beijing’s treatment of Uygurs, the Turkic speaking Muslims, amounted to a genocide. China has defended its policies in the region, saying they are designed to counter terrorism and extremism.
Meanwhile, China has said it welcomes Ms. Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to visit China including Xinjiang in May.
According to media reports an agreement is set to include unfettered access to a broad range of people. On a question as to what kind of unfettered access Ms Bachelet will get, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday at daily media briefing in Beijing the purpose of such visit is to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation.
We have always opposed certain countries’ political manipulation of this matter. Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his visit to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics told Chinese leaders that he expects them to allow Bachelet to make a “credible” visit to China, especially the Xinjiang region. Guterres met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Media reports last month said that China has extended a conditional invitation to Bachelet to visit Xinjiang preferably after the Winter Olympics and insisted she should not release her report on Xinjiang before the February 4 Winter Olympics opening ceremony as demanded by the US politicians. The US, the EU and allied countries diplomats had boycotted the opening and closing ceremonies of last month’s Winter Olympics.