UN S. General has announced dates of China’s visit, which will include Xinjiang

On Monday, the United Nations’ human rights director will begin a six-day official tour to China, including a stop in the far-western Xinjiang province, where Chinese authorities are accused of abusing Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.

The journey is the culmination of years of effort by exiled Uyghurs to attract public attention to a network of detention facilities in Xinjiang, according to them and independent researchers.

While community groups applauded the trip’s announcement, they expressed concern that the team, led by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, would be denied access to the full picture of what is going on in the region, including allegations of Uyghurs being forced to work.

Bachelet will visit China for the first time from May 23 to 28. Since 2005, he has served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. During stops in Guangzhou, the capital of southern China’s Guangdong province, where she will deliver a lecture to students at Guangzhou University, and the Xinjiang cities of Urumqi (in Chinese, Wulumuqi) and Kashgar (Kashi), she plans to meet with high-level government officials, academics, and representatives from civil society groups and businesses, according to the press release.

In September 2018, shortly after taking over her present job, Bachelet, a former Chilean president, said that her office was requesting unrestricted access to Xinjiang. However, the trip was postponed due to concerns over her freedom of movement in the region.

On May 28, Bachelet planned to deliver a statement and attend a news conference at the conclusion of her visit.

On April 25, an advance team from her office arrived in China. They were quarantined in Guangzhou under China’s COVID-19 rules, although they were able to communicate with officials online throughout that period.

They met in person in Guangzhou and proceeded to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region after that (XUAR).