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U.S.-Led Nations Criticize China at UN for Treatment of Uighurs

  • China allies push back in statement of praise for human rights
  • Trump administration put visa bans on some Chinese officials
A demonstrator wears a mask painted during a anti-China protest in front of the Chinese consulate in Istanbul.

A demonstrator wears a mask painted during a anti-China protest in front of the Chinese consulate in Istanbul.

Photographer: Yasin Akgul/AFP via Getty Images

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The U.S. and its Western allies at the United Nations sharply criticized China’s treatment of its ethnic Uighurs, stepping up pressure over human rights just as Washington and Beijing seek to complete a “phase one” deal in their lingering trade dispute.

“We call on the Chinese government to uphold its national laws and international obligations and commitments to respect human rights, including freedom of religion or belief,” U.K. Ambassador Karen Pierce said Tuesday in a statement at the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee on behalf of 23 countries including the U.S., Germany, France and Japan.