North Korea, Syria and Myanmar among countries defending China's actions in Xinjiang


Allegations of torture inside the Xinjiang camps are rampant. Accounts given to CNN by former detainees describe forced reeducation under the threat of violence. 
The reports, however, have been difficult to independently corroborate. Though the Chinese government has provided limited access to journalists and foreign diplomats in strictly guided tours of the facilities, access to Xinjiang is tightly controlled, amid growing surveillance and a prominent police presence.
Top UN officials including Michelle Bachelet have called for the global body to be given access to the camps to investigate allegations of human rights abuses.
James Leibold, a professor at Australia's La Trobe University who specializes in modern Chinese history and society, said Beijing is likely seeking help from its international partners in order to bolster its arguments
"They've always been sensitive and concerned about how they are viewed internationally, and I think the entire Xinjiang story and the amount of press it's gotten internationally has really disturbed policy makers in Beijing," Leibold said.
"It's not enough for them to say it themselves, they want to get their allies and supporters internationally to also back that claim ... particularly in the Muslim world, where I think they need to make sure that the wider Islamic community doesn't start to question what's happening in Xinjiang, to see China as anti-Islam."
    The Thursday letter expressing concern about "credible reports of arbitrary detention ... as well as widespread surveillance and restrictions" was co-signed by mostly Western and European countries.
    The 37 countries who signed the letter backing China included several Muslim majority nations, including Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Pakistan.

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