Foreign ministry defends UN visit to Xinjiang

Beijing slammed irresponsible remarks on Monday that Washington made over a United Nations senior official's visit to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, saying the United States is not in a position to criticize normal cooperation between China and the organization.

On Friday, US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "to convey deep concerns" about the trip made to Xinjiang by Vladimir Voronkov, under-secretary-general of UN Counter-Terrorism Office. Sullivan said it was "highly inappropriate", Reuters reported.

"Washington's groundless accusations on China and the UN are futile," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily news briefing.