GENEVA, Switzerland —
China wrapped up a two-day offensive at the UN on Wednesday against a
report listing violations in its Xinjiang region, as Western countries remain
uncertain on how to respond.
اضافة اعلان
Beijing has made no
secret of its displeasure with the long-delayed UN report, which warns of
possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.
At the
UN Human Rights Council this week it has strived to show it has broad backing for its
criticism, presenting a joint statement by nearly two dozen countries and with
multiple pro-Beijing groups taking the floor in its defense.
The report, which
was published on August 31, was “based on disinformation and draws erroneous
conclusions”, Chinese Ambassador Chen Xu said Tuesday, presenting the joint
statement.
“We are deeply worried that it will undermine
dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights, and exaggerate the
existing trend of politicization and polarization at the Human Rights Council,”
he added.
The report brought
UN endorsement to long-running allegations by campaigners and others, who
accuse Beijing of a litany of abuses in Xinjiang, including detaining more than
1 million Uyghurs and other Muslims, and forcibly sterilizing women.
Beijing has
rejected such charges, insisting it is running vocational training centers in
the region to counter extremism.
Western countries
and their allies appear to agree action in the UN rights council is warranted,
and face pressure from rights groups to present a resolution condemning the
alleged violations or even ordering an investigation.
A “council priority should be the urgent
establishment of an independent, international investigation on the situation
in Xinjiang”, Amnesty International chief
Agnes Callamard told the council via
video link.
During the two days
of general debate at the council that ended Wednesday, dozens of countries
raised concerns about Xinjiang, but there was no sign yet they were moving
towards joint action.
Chinese diplomat
Mao Yizong insisted to the council Wednesday that the joint statement a day
earlier proved that “any attempt to smear and discredit China through human
rights issues is doomed to fail”.
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