Uyghur repression: Xinjiang governor's visit to London cancelled

Protested by British MPs and humanitarian groups. Erkin Tuniyaz accused of crimes against Turkish-speaking minorities. His trip to Paris and Brussels also cancelled. Beijing is on the offensive to try to mend fences with Europe.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - The governor of Xinjiang has cancelled his controversial visit to London, scheduled for this weekend, Britain's Foreign Ministry announced today. Several British parliamentarians and human rights groups had risen up against the arrival of Erkin Tuniyaz, who is accused of humanitarian crimes against the Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking minorities of Islamic beliefs living in the Chinese autonomous region.

According to a report published after several delays by the office of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights on 31 August, the accusations by experts, humanitarian groups and international media against China of committing crimes against humanity against Xinjiang's Muslim minorities are 'credible'.

Among the abuses attributed to Beijing is that of having imprisoned almost two million citizens - mainly Uyghurs - in real camps, even forcing them into forced labour. The Chinese deny all accusations, claiming that Xinjiang's centres are for vocational training and projects for poverty reduction, the fight against terrorism and separatism.

The British Foreign Office was keen to stress that Britain 'will continue to use every opportunity to take action against the unacceptable human rights abuses in Xinjiang'. In the event of a meeting with Tuniyaz, London said it would express its 'abhorrence' at the treatment of the Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking minorities.

Backed by humanitarian activists, some British politicians went so far as to demand the arrest of the Chinese politician on his arrival in London and a trial. Humanitarian organisations and politicians from EU countries had also threatened legal action against Tuniyaz if he set foot on EU territory. Before cancelling his trip to Great Britain, he had 'postponed' his trips to Paris and Brussels, according to Politico.

On the other hand, the European tour of former Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was promoted to Politburo member and head of international relations of the Chinese Communist Party, remains confirmed in the coming days. Wang will visit France, Germany, Italy and Hungary, as well as attend the Munich Security Conference.  

Beijing is on the offensive to try to mend relations with Europe, which deteriorated in March 2021 after the Chinese government's decision to sanction 10 European personalities: a response to the Union's punitive measures for human rights violations in Xinjiang, the first that Europe has imposed on the Asian giant since the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.