China rejects growing Western criticism at UN rights forum

China hit back on Wednesday at growing criticism by Western powers of its human rights record in the regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, as well as in the former British colony of Hong Kong.

"At this high-level segment, the UK, EU, Germany, USA, Canada, and some other countries abused this forum of the Council to make groundless charges against China, to interfere in internal affairs of our country," Chen Xu, China's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told the UN Human Rights Council.

"We firmly oppose and categorically reject these attempts".

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on China on Tuesday to allow UN human rights boss Michelle Bachelet to visit and investigate alleged mistreatment of Muslim Uighurs in the Xinjiang region and of people in Tibet.