China rejects Xinjiang accusations

Accusations of forced labour or detentions in the northwestern region are “lies and false information concocted by anti-China forces,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

China’s government on Tuesday rejected accusations of abuses in the Xinjiang region after a human rights group appealed for a UN investigation into possible crimes against humanity. Accusations of forced labour or detentions in the northwestern region are “lies and false information concocted by anti-China forces,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. He accused critics of trying to “undermine Xinjiang’s stability and security and curb China’s development”. On Monday, Human Rights Watch appealed to the UN Human Rights Commission to investigate reports of mass detention of Muslims, a crackdown on religious practices and other measures against minorities. It said they amount to crimes against humanity as defined by the treaty that established the International Criminal Court.