Editorial | Human rights are not just a China concern
- Exchanges following the UN human rights chief’s visit to Xinjiang do little to advance the cause, particularly when there are reasons to worry elsewhere in the world
Human rights are a universal value, yet they can be the most vexed issue in practice. The most recent example is the debate stirred up by the first trip to China by a United Nations human rights chief since 2005.
International observers focused on Michelle Bachelet’s visit to Urumqi and Kashgar in Xinjiang province, where the authorities have been accused of forced sterilisation and mass internment of Uygurs and other Muslim minorities.
Beijing said the trip “achieved positive and practical results”. Bachelet said she had unsupervised access to the sources she wanted to meet, including many relevant officials.
But United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington remained concerned about China’s efforts to “restrict and manipulate” the visit.
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UN human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet arrives in China for Xinjiang visit
This reveals a gulf in expectation, reflected in Bachelet’s remarks at a press conference near the end of her trip. “This visit was not an investigation – detailed, methodical and discreet,” she said.
