China's top diplomat forced to concede Xinjiang atrocities; gives outrageous 'education' spin

China's foreign minister defended detention camps in Xinjiang and Hong Kong's new security law on Sunday, brushing off human rights concerns by European countries and cautioning against interference in Chinese affairs.  Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on his first European tour since virus pandemic erupted, seeking to revive trade and relations strained by resulting global health and ecomic crisis.

Speaking in Paris on Sunday, Wang repeated claim that all those sent to reeducation centers in Xinjiang have been released and placed in employment even as rights groups and families report on continuing detentions of Uighur Muslims and loss of contact with loved ones.

“ rights of all trainees in education and training program, though ir minds have been encroached by terrorism and extremism, have been fully guaranteed,” he told a conference at French Institute of International Relations.

“w all of m have graduated, re is one in education and training center w. y all have found jobs.”

Chinese government has detained an estimated 1 million or more members of ethnic Turkic mirities in Xinjiang, holding m in internment camps and prisons where y are subjected to ideological discipline, forced to deunce ir religion and langu and physically abused. China has long suspected Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harbouring separatist tendencies because of ir distinct culture, langu and religion.

Asked about Hong Kong's security law, Wang said, “We certainly couldn't sit idly by and let chaos go on, so we enacted a law maintaining national security that specifically suited Hong Kong's situation.” law is seen by many as Beijing's boldest move yet to break down legal barriers between semi-automous territory of Hong Kong and mainland's authoritarian Communist Party system. Wang called both issues internal Chinese affairs and said foreign powers shouldn't interfere.

At a meeting Friday with Wang, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “his strong concern about situation in Hong Kong, and around human rights, tably Uighurs, and need for China to respect its international commitments,” according to Macron's office.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian raised similar concerns, as did officials on or legs of Wang's Europe trip, which includes Italy, Nerlands, rway and Germany. His visit also included discussion of trade, fighting climate change and or issues where Europe depends on China because of its huge global influence.