 |
answer text |
<p>We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese
Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over 1 million Uyghur
Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance
and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities. Visits to Xinjiang by diplomats from
the British Embassy in Beijing have corroborated much of this open source reporting.</p><p>Ministers
and senior officials have been raising our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities
for some time, and will continue to do so. At the 40<sup>th</sup> session of the UN
Human Rights Council which ran from February to March 2019, Lord Ahmad raised our
concerns about Xinjiang during his opening address (on 25 February). The UK also raised
concerns about Xinjiang during our item 4 statement on 12 March, and we co-sponsored
a side event on “Protecting the fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang” on 13 March.</p><p>I
raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to
China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region
with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China
on 30 July 2018.</p><p>During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights
Council on 6 November 2018, the UK made a statement which described our concerns about
the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs.</p><p>Following the
Universal Periodic Review, Lord Ahmad issued a statement where he said: “I am very
concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the re-education
camps and the widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities,
particularly the Uyghurs. The UK and many of our international partners have made
clear during China’s UPR that this is a priority issue. We recommended that China
should implement CERD recommendations in Xinjiang and allow the UN to monitor implementation.”</p>
|
|
