UN team in China ahead of rights chief visit to Xinjiang

GENEVA (AP) — A United Nations team has landed in China ahead of a long-delayed visit by the U.N. human rights chief to Xinjiang. Rights groups and some Western governments allege the Chinese government is committing genocide and serious abuses there against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. The U.N. human rights office said Tuesday its staffers arrived in southern China on Monday to prepare for the visit by High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, expected in May. Spokeswoman Liz Throssell said “the advance team of five is initially spending time in Guangzhou, where they are quarantining in line with COVID-19 travel requirements.” Bachelet announced in March that her office reached an agreement with China’s government that she could visit Xinjiang in far-western China.