Beijing furious over damning UN rights report on Uyghurs in Xinjiang

A farmer walks past government propaganda depicting ethnic minority residents reading the constitution in China's north-western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in March, 2021. AP - Ng Han Guan

China on Thursday accused the United Nations of becoming a "thug and accomplice of the US and the West" after the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a highly anticipated report warning that crimes against humanity may have taken place in the Xinjiang region.

The landmark 46-page document was published just under 15 minutes before the end of the tenure of Michelle Bachelet, who headed the High Commissioner's office until 31 August.