China urges UN states to avoid Xinjiang event

>>BEIJING: China is asking UN member states to stay away from an event organised by some Western countries that will address human rights issues in its Xinjiang region, Reuters reported.

The virtual event is “politically motivated” and interferes with China’s domestic affairs, the report said, citing a memo by the Chinese UN mission. It’s being organised next week by the United States, Canada, Australia and some European nations, the report said.

China’s UN mission didn’t reply to a Reuters request for comment.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was hosting a virtual UN Security Council event on Friday, called on countries to “pursue equity and justice, not bullying and hegemony”. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking minutes later, disputed the notion that the UN or other international blocs can’t criticise human rights violations taking place within a country’s borders, saying no nation has a “blank check”. He didn’t mention China by name.

China has detained about 1 million ethnic minorities including Muslim Uighurs in the western region of Xinjiang, according to a United Nations assessment. Beijing says it is fighting terrorism while building infrastructure and providing economic opportunities.

Foreign ministers from the G7 this week criticised China’s treatment of ethnic and religious groups in Xinjiang and Tibet, and the existence of “re-education” camps. In response, China said the developed economies should stop “making groundless accusations in a condescending way”.