BEIJING (HRNW) – The UN human rights chief met China s top diplomat Monday as she began a six-day trip to the country that will include the remote Xinjiang region, stirring fears over access and the propaganda value the visit offers to the Chinese Communist Party.
The tour by Michelle Bachelet marks the first by the UN s top rights official in nearly two decades and comes as Beijing stands accused of widespread abuses of Muslims in far-western Xinjiang.
The ruling Communist Party is alleged to have detained over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities there under a years-long security crackdown the United States calls a “genocide”.
China vociferously denies the accusations, calling them “the lie of the century”.
“I look forward to the exchanges I will have with many different people during my visit. I will be discussing some very important issues and sensitive issues. I hope this will help us build confidence,” Bachelet said at a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Guangzhou.
Bachelet conducted virtual meetings with the heads of around 70 diplomatic missions in China on Monday, according to diplomatic sources in Beijing, who said she gave assurances over her access to detention centres and rights defenders.
Be the first to comment on "UN human rights chief begins contentious China visit"