It was questioned by British deputies and humanitarian groups. They accuse Erkin Tuniyaz of crimes against Turkish-speaking minorities. His trip to Paris and Brussels is also cancelled. Beijing is on the offensive to try to mend relations with Europe.
Beijing () – The governor of Xinjiang has canceled his controversial visit to London, scheduled for this weekend. This was announced today by the British Foreign Office. Several British parliamentarians and human rights groups had rebelled against the arrival of Erkin Tuniyaz, 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 by the office of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights on August 31, after postponing it several times, the allegations by experts, humanitarian groups and international media against China for committing crimes against humanity are “credible”. to the detriment of Xinjiang’s Muslim minorities.
Among the abuses attributed to Beijing is the imprisonment of almost two million citizens – mainly Uyghurs – in authentic concentration camps, where they are even forced to do forced labor. The Chinese deny all the accusations, alleging that the ones in Xinjiang are centers for professional training and projects for the reduction of poverty, the fight against terrorism and separatism.
The British Foreign Office wanted to stress that Britain “will continue to take every opportunity to take action against unacceptable human rights abuses in Xinjiang.” Should it meet with Tuniyaz, London said it would express its “dislike” for the treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking minorities.
Backed by humanitarian activists, some British politicians went so far as to demand that the Chinese politician be arrested upon arrival in London and stand trial. Humanitarian organizations and politicians from EU countries had also threatened to take legal action against Tuniyaz if he set foot on EU territory. Before canceling his trip to Britain, he had “postponed” his trips to Paris and Brussels, according to Political.
On the other hand, the European tour of the former Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, promoted to a member of the Politburo and head of International Relations of the Chinese Communist Party, continues to be 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 rebuild 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 imposes on the Asian giant since the Tiananmen massacre of 1989.
