UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, whose rare visit to China was criticized by rights groups and Western countries, said she urged Beijing to review its counter-terrorism policies to ensure they comply with international human rights standards.
Ms. Bachelet reiterated, however, that her six-day trip, which ended on Saturday and included a visit to the western region of Xinjiang, was not an investigation into China’s human rights policies but an opportunity to engage with the government.
“I have raised questions and concerns about the application of counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures under broad application, particularly the impact on the rights of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities,” she said during an online press brieMs. Bachelet’s access was limited as China arranged for her to travel in a “closed loop” — isolating people within a virtual bubble to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — with no foreign press.
“We are concerned the conditions Beijing authorities imposed on the visit did not enable a complete and independent assessment of the human rights environment in the PRC, including in Xinjiang, where genocide and crimes against humanity are ongoing,” Mr. Blinken said in a statement late on Saturday. Rights groups and Western countries worry that China will use her trip as an endorsement of its rights record. US State Department spokesman Ned Price had said on Tuesday it was “a mistake to agree to a visit under the circumstances.”
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