US, Britain back call for UN human rights debate on China’s Xinjiang

Name: Biden in UN speech slams China over nuclear arsenal, Xinjiang but says US ‘not seeking conflict’
Uploaded: 2022-09-26T13:45:01.000Z
Duration: 2 min 46 s
Description: Biden in UN speech slams China over nuclear arsenal, Xinjiang but says US ‘not seeking conflict’

Move over alleged abuses by permanent Security Council member China would be first for UN Human Right’s Council

Debate considered less confrontational than a resolution which could have sought a Xinjiang inquiry

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

A detention centre in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, April 23, 2021. The US and Britain are among countries seeking a UN human rights debate over alleged abuses.
Photo: AP

Reuters

Published: 9:45pm, 26 Sep 2022

The United States, Britain and other countries are calling for a debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council to discuss China’s treatment of Uygurs and other Muslims in the far-western region of Xinjiang, a document showed and diplomats said on Monday.

The move, which needs a majority vote to pass in the deeply divided Geneva council, would be the first time that alleged abuses by powerful permanent Security Council member China featured on the UN right’s body’s agenda in its 16-year history.

Intense diplomatic discussions have continued on the sidelines of the council meeting since a much-anticipated UN report last month stipulated that “serious human rights violations have been committed” in Xinjiang that may amount to crimes against humanity.

China has vigorously denied any abuses and has sent a government delegation to Geneva to counter what it claims are erroneous findings by the UN rights office and says it is “ready for the fight” if action is taken against it.

China’s diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

02:46

Biden in UN speech slams China over nuclear arsenal, Xinjiang but says US ‘not seeking conflict’

The so-called draft decision was so far backed by the US, Britain, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway, diplomats said. It seeks a debate during the council’s next session that begins in February.