China says UN officials can visit Xinjiang as long as they ‘avoid interfering in domestic matters’

UN officials are welcome to visit Xinjiang as long as they obey Chinese law and follow the procedures, China said on Monday as it seeks to counter a global outcry over its mass internment programme in the far western region.

The comment from China’s foreign ministry came after the government arranged tours for foreign journalists and non-Western diplomats to visit the internment camps over the past weeks – the first since its mass detention of Muslim minorities drew criticism from United Nations human rights experts, foreign governments, activists and scholars.

At a regular briefing, ministry spokesman Lu Kang said all parties, including UN officials, were welcome in Xinjiang provided they “abide by Chinese law and comply with relevant procedures”, according to a transcript on the ministry website.

UN officials should also “avoid interfering in domestic matters or undermining [China’s] sovereignty” and adopt an objective and neutral attitude, Lu said.

Lu’s remarks followed a similar invitation by Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, on Sunday. He said China welcomed UN experts to Xinjiang so they would “know the real situation ... and their comments will be based on facts and ground realities”, according to Pakistani newspaper The News International, which was part of last week’s foreign media tour.

Last month, Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, said her office was seeking access to Xinjiang to verify “worrying reports” of the re-education camps.