UN chief Antonio Guterres raised ‘situation in Xinjiang’ in talks with Xi Jinping
- United Nations secretary general discussed with Chinese president the plight of an estimated 1 million Uygurs held in re-education camps
- He told Xi in Beijing last week that ‘human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism’, spokesman says
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief told the Chinese leader that “human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism and in the prevention of violent extremism”.
Criticism has grown over China’s internment of Uygurs as well as members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups – and Guterres has been criticised by human rights groups and some governments for his behind-the-scenes approach and failure to address their plight publicly.
Last week, Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth wrote a harsh op-ed in The Washington Post saying halfway through his five-year term Guterres “is becoming defined by his silence on human rights – even as serious rights abuses proliferate” including against the Uygurs.
Roth said numerous governments had voiced concerns about China’s detention of Uygurs “for forced indoctrination”, but “Guterres has not said a word about it in public. Instead, he praises China’s development prowess and rolls out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping.”
Dujarric had been pressed about whether the secretary general would raise the Uygur issue – and whether he did raise it – with Xi during his trip to Beijing from April 25 to 27 to attend a forum on China’s multibillion-dollar belt and road infrastructure-building initiative.