China rejects UN report on rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs

China on Thursday rejected the UN report on human rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities and called it "false."

In a video statement, Chinese envoy to the UN Zhang Jun said they reject the UN's "so-called Xinjiang-related assessment."

"We are firmly opposed to such a report. We all know so well that the so-called Xinjiang issue is completely a fabricated lie out of political motivations. Its purpose is to undermine China's stability and obstruct China's development," said Ambassador Zhang Jun.

"We have made it very clear to the High Commissioner and on a number of other occasions that we are firmly opposed to such reports," he added.

The Chinese envoy called the move a bid to undermine China's stability and obstruct China's development.

The Human Rights High Commissioner should stay independent and avoid interfering in China's internal affairs, he warned.

On Wednesday, the UN released a harsh report on human rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China, concluding that the country may have committed crimes against humanity.

The report found that mass detention in China's Xinjiang region from 2017 to 2019 was marked by credible documentation of torture, sexual violence, and forced labor, as well as forced abortions and sterilizations.

The 48-page document concluded that "serious human rights violations" were committed by the Chinese government against the Uyghurs and other Muslims under China's policies to fight terrorism and extremism.