Women walk past a propaganda slogan promoting ethnic unity in 'the new era', in both Chinese and Uyghur languages, in Yarkant, northwestern China's Xinjiang region, on July 18, 2023.China’s embassy in Ottawa launched a public broadside at the Canadian government Monday over its characterization of human rights violations in Xinjiang, an indication that bilateral relations remain poor even under a new Chinese ambassador.
Further, Ms. May “expressed Canada’s concerns over limits on Uyghur-language education and the practice of forcibly placing Uyghur children into residential schools.”’s embassy, in a statement on X, accused the Canadian government of recycling lies. The embassy’s aggressive style of language and tone evoked a practice that has been called “wolf warrior” diplomacy.
Reports of mass internment of Uyghurs at what China said were merely “vocational education and training centres,” first drew international attention around 2017. When she was United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet visited Xinjiang in 2022. Her office’s report on the trip said China’s treatment of Uyghurs in the region may amount to crimes against humanity.
The Chinese embassy, went so far as to allege Global Affairs is misrepresenting, or failing to disclose, what Ms. May saw during her brief visit. Other visitors, it said, “spoke highly” of progress in Xinjiang and Beijing’s efforts there.