Xinjiang, Tibet 'shining examples' of our human rights progress: China

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday said that China's treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet is a "shining example" of the progress made by the country in terms of human rights progress.

According to AFP, at least one million Uighurs, along with other Muslim minorities remain in camps that are situated in the northwest region of Xinjiang. China is also accused of forcibly sterilising women, and forced labour among many things.

After initial reports about the camps became public, Beijing denied any such thing existed. Soon after, it defended the camps, claiming that these were "vocational training centres" that were aimed at curbing Islamic extremism in the region.

"Places inhabited by ethnic minorities, such as Xinjiang and Tibet, have stood out as shining examples of China's human rights progress," Wang said in Beijing while talking at a forum on US-China relations.

Also read: Britain wants UN to have 'urgent' access to Uighur camps in China's Xinjiang

Wang is expected to address the UN's Human Rights Council session later on Monday. Other countries have criticised China's incarceration of minorities in Xinjiang. According to a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang will "share China's philosophy, practice and experience in protecting human rights" during his speech.

Britain on Monday will call on United Nations to be granted access to the Xinjiang region of China, where excesses against Uighur Muslims have been reported.

Also read: China's oppression of Muslims in Xinjiang, explained

On January 19, 2021, the United States government said that China was committing genocide in Xinjiang, which former Secretary of State Pompeo described as "the systematic attempt to destroy Uighurs by the Chinese-party state".

China, on the other hand, claims that Muslim minorities in the region enjoy a high quality of life.