Thread by @WilliamYang120

“Lawmakers and human-rights groups in Europe have denounced an expected visit to London and Brussels this month by a Chinese official sanctioned by the U.S. for helping orchestrate repression of ethnic minorities.” #China #Uyghur

wsj.com/articles/xinji…

Mr. Tuniyaz, who is chairman of the Xinjiang government and the region’s No. 2 official, has been a visible advocate of Chinese policies in the region.

Mr. Tuniyaz’s planned visit was criticized by some lawmakers in the U.K. “The U.K. can engage with China without meeting its worst criminals,” a group of members of Parliament said on Twitter.

They called on the U.K. government to rescind the invitation, which they called an “irresponsible and hurtful error of judgment.”

Iain Duncan Smith, a Conservative member of Parliament, described the potential visit as “a propaganda coup for the Chinese government,” in remarks delivered during a parliamentary session.

Leo Docherty, a U.K. Foreign Office minister, told lawmakers that the Chinese Embassy had said Mr. Tuniyaz might visit next week, but he hadn’t been extended an invitation by the British government and there was no confirmation his trip would go ahead.

@Dolkun_Isa described the planned visit as “shocking and incomprehensible.”
“Proven complicity in crimes against humanity and genocide must be a clear red line, and must lead to justice and accountability instead of engagement,” Mr. Isa said.

@bueti said they recognized the need for engagement with China but questioned “the wisdom of officially meeting with someone personally involved in the persecution of Uyghurs.”