Beijing says a recently released United Nations assessment on China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region is a "farce" arranged by Western powers. Dong Xue speaks to an expert to find out more.

 

When Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet visited Xinjiang in May, she said her trip was not an investigation, but an opportunity to hold direct talks with China's most senior leaders, to listen and explore meaningful engagement in the future, and to support China's fulfillment of its obligation under international human rights law.

 

In a news conference at the end of her trip, Bachelet said full access was guaranteed for her visit in Kashgar and Urumqi. She said she was unable to determine the scale of a Xinjiang reeducation and incarceration program directed at ethnic Uygurs, saying high-profile official visits were not conducive to discreet work of an investigative nature.

 

But there's a change in tone in her office's recently released assessment of human rights in Xinjiang. And it has some questioning its authenticity.

 

JIA CHUNYANG Associate Researcher China Institute of Contemporary International Relations "We usually say seeing is believing. The report contradicts with what Bachelet had concluded after her visit. Whoever wrote this report is either under the pressure of Western countries or did it as a political move to cater to the West's narrative on Xinjiang."

 

Home to 25 million people, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is filled with bountiful resources and various ethnic groups. It's also long been part of a debate between China and the West, especially when it comes to fighting against terrorism.

 

JIA CHUNYANG Associate Researcher China Institute of Contemporary International Relations "Xinjiang has become the worst-hit by terrorism since the July 5, 2009 attack. People felt insecure until the government introduced a slate of policies that turned around the situation; now you can see local tourism booming. That's real human rights. The Chinese government is protecting its people."

 

China has long been a victim of disinformation and Xinjiang, in particular, has been under heavy attack from the U.S. worldwide campaign to spread disinformation, according to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.

 

He says the U.S. has propagated "lies of the century" about Xinjiang for quite some time in attempts to contain China. He also says such has even been admitted by some U.S. government officials.

 

ZHAO LIJIAN Spokesperson, China Foreign Ministry "In fact, the U.S. disinformation campaign about Xinjiang is nothing new and the methods it uses have been debunked many times."