British officials are prepared to meet with the governor of China’s western region of Xinjiang, but the government said that any talks during a potential visit to the UK would be used to raise the issue of human rights violations against the Uyghurs.
(Bloomberg) — British officials are prepared to meet with the governor of China’s western region of Xinjiang, but the government said that any talks during a potential visit to the UK would be used to raise the issue of human rights violations against the Uyghurs.
Britain “must be prepared to use diplomatic channels” and “officials would be prepared to offer him a meeting,” Foreign Office minister Leo Docherty said in the House of Commons on Thursday. Any talks with Erkin Tuniyaz, who may visit the UK next week, would be used “to make absolutely clear the UK’s abhorrence of the treatment of the Uyghur people,” Docherty said.
Tuniyaz had not been invited by the British state and would not meet any government ministers if he visits, Docherty said.
China is accused of serious human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including forced labor, torture and arbitrary detention against the region’s Muslim minority. China’s government vehemently denies the charges.
Read More: Why China and US Disagree on Forced Labor in Xinjiang
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure from some Conservative MPs to take a tougher line against China, a sentiment reflected in Parliament on Thursday. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said the governor’s visit would be a “propaganda coup for the Chinese government.”
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, who chairs Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said there was “no legitimate reason” to allow the governor into the UK and asked if he would be sanctioned.
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