The virtual event, hosted by the US, UK and Germany, will discuss how states can advocate for human rights in Xinjiang, prompting a furious response from China's UN representatives.
China has urged United Nations member states not to attend an event planned next week by Germany, the United States and Britain on the repression of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang.The virtual meeting will discuss how member states can advocate for Uyghur human rights"It is a politically motivated event," China's UN mission wrote in a note, dated Thursday. "We request your mission NOT to participate in this anti-China event.
China says the organisers of the event, which also include Australia, Canada and several other European states, use "human rights issues as a political tool to interfere in China's internal affairs like Xinjiang, to create division and turbulence and disrupt China's development". "They are obsessed with provoking confrontation with China," the note said, adding that "the provocative event can only lead to more confrontation".The Chinese mission to the United Nations confirmed the note and China's opposition to the event.
The ambassadors of the United States, Germany and Britain are due to address the virtual UN event on Wednesday, along with Human Rights Watch Executive Director Ken Roth and Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard. The aim of the event is to "discuss how the UN system, member states and civil society can support and advocate for the human rights of members of ethnic Turkic communities in Xinjiang," according to an invitation.