BEIJING — China defended its human rights record on Friday (Jan 23) after UN experts said alleged forced labour involving Uyghurs and Tibetans in the Xinjiang region and other parts of China might amount to "enslavement".

The experts said there was "a persistent pattern" of alleged forced labour affecting Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz minority groups as well as Tibetans in Xinjiang and across multiple provinces.