LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said that Erkin Tuniyaz, the governor of the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, would no longer visit Britain this week, amid a backlash from lawmakers about alleged human rights abuses in the region.
Britain had said that if Tuniyaz had visited this week, officials would have been prepared to meet with him to raise concern over the human rights situation in Xinjiang. But those plans faced backlash from lawmakers who highlight alleged human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims in the region.
“We understand the Governor of Xinjiang has cancelled his visit to the UK,” a UK foreign ministry spokesperson said.
“The UK Government will continue to use all opportunities to take action against China’s unacceptable human rights abuses in Xinjiang.”
Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million in Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labour in internment camps. The United States and some other foreign lawmakers and parliaments have accused China of genocide.
China has vigorously denied the allegations.
Last week a foreign office minister said Tuniyaz had not been invited by Britain and would not have been “dignified” with a ministerial meeting, but officials were prepared to meet him as part of “robust engagement” over alleged rights violations.
China’ embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the cancellation of the visit.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Sandra Maler)
