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Xinjiang
ChinaDiplomacy

China invites EU leaders to ‘see real situation in Xinjiang’ amid claims of Uygur detention and abuse

  • ‘We have always welcomed friends … to go to Xinjiang for a walk,’ says Chinese foreign ministry
  • Previous foreign delegations to the home of Uygur minorities have been carefully controlled, limited in scope and labelled Chinese propaganda tools

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The perimeter fence of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Photo: Reuters
Eduardo Baptista
Beijing has said it is willing to arrange for European Union diplomats to visit Xinjiang in response to criticism of China’s treatment of Uygurs in Xinjiang.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday that the invitation had been extended during a virtual summit on Monday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and three EU leaders: European Council president Charles Michel, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“On Xinjiang-related issues, we have always welcomed friends from all over the world, including the European side, to go to Xinjiang for a walk and take a look to understand the real situation in Xinjiang, rather than hearsay and belief in deliberately fabricated lies,” Wang said.

“The EU and its member states’ envoys in China have expressed their hope to visit Xinjiang, and China has agreed and is willing to make arrangements.”

Such arrangements, however, have been a point of contention between China and the EU. In March 2019, the Delegation of the EU to China – the office representing EU member states in Beijing – rejected an invitation by China to visit Xinjiang. But it said it remained open to a trip to the region.
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