UN rights chief’s visit to China will be held in ‘closed loop’, Beijing says

Michelle Bachelet begins trip amid fears that authorities will use Covid restrictions as cover to limit her access

China has said the UN rights chief's visit to the country this week will be conducted in a closed loop" as previously agreed with the UN, referring to the Chinese model of isolating people inside a bubble" in order to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, embarked on a six-day trip to China on Monday. She will be visiting the southern city of Guangzhou and two locations in the Xinjiang region, where Chinese authorities have been accused of human rights abuses against Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim ethnic group.