China welcomes UN visit to Xinjiang, but opposes investigation

China would welcome a United Nations visit to XinjiangAutonomous Region the scene of what somenations have calleda government campaign of genocide againstthe Uyghur minority but Beijingis opposed to an"investigation with a presumption of guilt," a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said.

On CBC'sRosemary Barton Live onSunday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told host Rosemary Barton that the UNis negotiating with Beijing to allow the UN High Commissioner tovisit the region. Canadian parliamentarians and several othercountries have accused China of carrying out a campaign ofgenocide againstUyghurs there.

The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said last month that reports of arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, sexual violence and forced labour in Xinjiang require a thorough and independent assessment.

At anews briefing in Beijing today, ZhaoLijian, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, toldreporters that the Chinese government would welcome a visitand confirmed that the UN and China arein talks but stopped short of inviting an unrestricted investigation.

China says visit shouldn't be an investigation

"The purpose of the visit is to promote exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, not to conduct a so-called 'investigation' with a presumption of guilt," he said in response to a question from Agence France-Presse. "At the same time, we oppose the use of this matter for political manipulation to exert pressure on China."

In response to a follow up question, Zhaosaid "afew Western countries" were using the prospectof a UN visit to Xinjiang to "engage in political manipulation and to put pressure on China."

While Zhao did not specify which countries he was referring to, his remarks come after Canada, the U.K., the European Union and the United States imposed sanctions on four Chinese officialslast week in response to what they say are human rights abuses taking place in Xinjiang.

WATCH | Human rights need to be respected, Secretary General Antonio Guterres says:

UN needs to enter China 'without restrictions or limitations': Antonio Guterres

3 years ago

Duration 4:29

In an exclusive interview with CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the United Nations is engaged in a "serious negotiation" with China about granting UN officials access to China's Xinjiang province to investigate allegations of human rights abuses in the region against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. Guterres also calls on Beijing to respect the will of the people of Hong Kong. Watch Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT/11:30 a.m. NT on CBC News Network and CBC Gem.

China retaliatedSaturday when it announced targeted sanctions against Ontario Conservative MP Michael Chong, the opposition critic forforeign affairs, and the House of Commons subcommittee on international human rights, which had denounced Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs and other minorities.

Xu Guixiang, aspokesperson for the regional government of Xinjiang, said todaythat Canada,the United States, Britainand the European Union are engaging in political manipulation to destabilize China through sanctions.

He described the allegations as "misconduct," said they undermine"international efforts to punish genocide crimes" and called them "the biggestfalse accusations in human history."

"They have lost their minds and their conscience. They are enthusiastic about political manipulation and the abuse of sanctionsto a level that is hysterical,"Xu told a news conference. "Their purpose is, by using human rights as an excuse, to destabilize Xinjiang and China."

At a UN news conference on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is taking appropriate stepsto stand up for human rights.

"We have acted. We have acted in a way that is giving extra support and ability for Canadian companies to ensure that they are not being involved in questionable supply chains from Xinjiang," he said.

"But we are also, more importantly, working with our allies around the world to move forward on sanctionsand on concerted, collaborative, coordinatedapproaches to really make the point that ourconcerns about what's going on there are significant and need to be responded to by the Chinese government."

In response to a question about China inviting UN observers into Xinjiang, Trudeau called it "excellent news" but deferred to Guterres.

Guterressaidthat the UN is "seriously engagingwith China" overthe possible visit,addinghe wants"no unacceptable limitations."

China faces accusations of genocide

The U.S. government has publicly accused Beijing of genocide against the Uyghur Muslim ethnic minorities in the region.

In Canada, MPs voted to label China's actions in Xinjiang region as "genocide." Liberal cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, abstained from that vote.

The Liberal government has been reluctant to use the term "genocide" to describe Beijing's actions in Xinjiang but it has faced increasing pressure from opposition parties to take a stronger stand on China.