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China lobbying behind scenes at UN to block Xinjiang rights report’s publication, document shows
- Tightly held, highly anticipated and often delayed, formal assessment of situation in region follows human rights chief’s controversial visit
- Fight over UN report comes as Washington policymakers show no signs of easing off their efforts to punish Beijing over alleged abuses
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China has been lobbying behind the scenes at the UN’s top human rights body to block the publication of a highly anticipated report on rights conditions for Uygurs and other minority groups in China’s Xinjiang region, according to a document circulating among UN diplomats.
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The effort comes just weeks after the UN’s human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, travelled to Xinjiang on a controversial tour of the region that critics said was a propaganda coup for Beijing.
The “so-called assessment on Xinjiang is of grave concern to us”, the document said. “The assessment, if published, will intensify politicisation and bloc confrontation in the area of human rights, undermine the credibility of the [Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights], and harm the cooperation between OHCHR and member states.”
“We strongly urge Madame High Commissioner not to publish such an assessment.”
02:04
China’s President Xi visits far western Xinjiang region for first time in 8 years
China’s President Xi visits far western Xinjiang region for first time in 8 years
The document was first reported by Reuters and seen by the South China Morning Post.
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