UN rights chief says China trip not for probe, Xinjiang meetings unsupervised

She further said she had appealed to the Chinese authorities to prioritise provision of information to families who lost contact with their loved ones in Xinjiang.

United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Saturday said her six-day visit to China was "not an investigation" into the country's human rights policies, while stating that meetings in Xinjiang were 'unsupervised' by the authorities. Bachelet said she spoke with "candour" during her official meetings.

This file handout image taken and released by the Office of the OHCHR shows a screen of UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet attending a virtual meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, in Guangzhou. (AFP)

She further said she had appealed to the Chinese authorities to prioritise provision of information to families who lost contact with their loved ones in Xinjiang. She added that she had urged Beijing against 'arbitrary and indiscriminate' measures in the region.

Beijing is accused of imprisoning over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, forced sterlisation of women and running labour camps which fuel global supply chains in the far-western region.

The global rights body chief described the visit that included a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as a chance to "listen to each other". Responding to critics who condemned her for failing to be tough on China's human rights record during her trip, she said, "I have heard you".

Bachelet said the UN human rights office will have annual senior strategic meeting with the Chinese government.

(With agency inputs)