UN General Assembly President Csaba Korosi is on a four-day trip to China and human rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region have not come up in discussions with the Chinese authorities, his spokesperson said Wednesday.
Korösi started his trip Feb. 1 to meet senior government officials and scientists working on sustainable development and water management projects.
“President Csaba Korösi met today in Beijing with State Councilor Wang Yi,” Paulina Kubiak told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. ''The President thanked China for its leadership role in the United Nations and its efforts to support people and the planet.''
Other topics discussed were Security Council reform, the war in Ukraine and its global economic implications and multilateralism, said Kubiak.
But human rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs were not raised in meetings.
Asked by Anadolu why the president did not raise human rights violations, she said: “The issue of human rights was not discussed. It was not an issue that he raised.”
“The trip to China is an official visit, and it's really aimed at sustainable development at water issues.” she added.
A UN report found last year that mass detention in the Xinjiang region from 2017 to 2019 was marked by credible documentation of torture, sexual violence, and forced labor, as well as forced abortions and sterilizations.
The 48-page document concluded that “serious human rights violations” were committed by the Chinese government against the Uyghurs and other Muslims under China’s policies to fight terrorism and extremism.
China strongly denies the allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Source: Anadolu Agency