China says UN officials welcome to visit Xinjiang

China on Monday said UN officials were welcome to visit its restive region of Xinjiang if they followed all the Chinese rules and procedures.

Beijing is facing international opprobrium for alleged violation of human rights in western Xinjiang province, home to Muslim Uighurs.

"The UN officials should avoid interfering in the domestic affairs of China. They are welcome to visit Xinjiang so long they follow travel rules and procedures," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a press briefing here.

He was responding to a question if China had invited UN officials to inspect Xinjiang where over 1 million Uighurs are being kept in mass internment camps.

Beijing has cracked down on Turkic speaking Uighur Muslims whom it suspects of having secessionist and extremist tendencies.

In the past, Beijing has adopted heavy handed measures with the authorities confiscating copies of the Quran, issuing diktats to Muslims not to grow beards and not to choose names for their wards which sound "too Islamic".

Last week, the Chinese state media reported that the country had passed a law to "Sinicize" Islam within five years.

The officials were quoted as saying that Islam needs to be brought in line with Chinese socialism.

Defending the "Sinicization" of Islam move, the Global Times in an opinionated report, said: "Generally speaking, modern countries are secular and diverse in a globalized world. But the revival and spread of religion have somewhat impacted secular society.

"Fundamentalism has caused more religious violence and religious nationalism is threatening countries' legitimate governments and leading to social instability," it said.

"Governing religion is a common challenge faced by all modern countries. The main purpose of China's five-year plan to sinicize Islam is to seek governance that tallies with Chinese practice and it is not only limited to Islam," the report added.

--IANS

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