In another display of pro-Beijing sentiment, the New Zealand opposition has disparaged findings of a major United Nations report into Chinese abuses in Xinjiang.
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On Thursday (AEST), the UN human rights office released a keenly awaited investigation into China's arbitrary detention regime in the Muslim-majority province, finding credible evidence of crimes against humanity.
The report found it was reasonable to conclude "that a pattern of large-scale arbitrary detention occurred ... of the Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority community".
Speaking within hours of its release, NZ Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta welcomed its publication.
"The report confirms that there are incidents of forced labour and other areas of concern that confirm human rights violations have occurred," she said.
"It's hard to refute a report of that repute from a UN organisation.
"It requires some action to be taken by China to recognise that human rights violations have existed."
Opposition foreign spokesman Gerry Brownlee of the centre-right National party took a different tack, saying China was trying to curb terrorism, like any government.
"What's most poignant for me (about the report) is that it has recognised that some of the activities the Chinese government has been about defeating terrorist activity in Xinjiang," he said.
"The intentions of that are not significantly different to those of our own New Zealand legislation.
"The issue is of course how that's interpreted and of course the the way in which the alleged terrorists are pursued."
Human rights organisations believe up to a million ethnic Uyghurs were placed in "re-education camps" against their will and without charge during the crackdown.
The UN report states this intensified between 2017-19, that widespread torture took place, and there was a "dramatic" increase in disappearances and family separations.
China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said the detention regime was a politically motivated "completely fabricated lie".
Asked whether he believed the mass incarceration took place, Mr Brownlee said "that's not something I can know".
"It's clearly inside that report. It's not for me to either accept or not," he said.
Mr Brownlee did say the report's recommendations should form the basis of ongoing discussions with China on human rights issues, and he wanted to see "China make some progress on remedying some of the concerns that have been expressed in that report".
The comments echo a similar sentiment from former New Zealand prime minister John Key, Mr Brownlee's former leader, who last month urged New Zealand to keep close relations with China.
"If you build a better relationship through trade, does it give you an increased and better platform to present change going forward and to have influence? I personally think you do," he told TVNZ.
"Do you want to start calling names and increasing the rhetoric? Australia has done that and has a far more aggressive relationship with China.
"Really, is that the smartest thing to do? You either do it from inside the tent where you can have a respectful relationship or you do it from outside. I just don't see what a country the size of New Zealand gets from being outside."
Mr Brownlee, previously deputy National leader, also queried the report's release, which came in the last 15 minutes of UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet's term.
"(China) made it clear they hadn't seen the report. There's an interesting question about natural justice," he said.
"The way the report has been released, literally in the death throes of the previous incumbent commissioner, there are a few things process-wise that aren't terribly tidy."
Ms Mahuta said the government would "take time to go through the report in detail" before considering New Zealand's official response.
Australian Associated Press
