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Interpol Opens Annual Meeting in China


Chinese President Xi Jinping stands with Secretary General Interpol Jurgen Stock, center, right, and Meng Hongwei, center left, president of Interpol, pose for a group photo at the 86th Interpol General Assembly at Beijing National Convention Center, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Beijing, China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stands with Secretary General Interpol Jurgen Stock, center, right, and Meng Hongwei, center left, president of Interpol, pose for a group photo at the 86th Interpol General Assembly at Beijing National Convention Center, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Beijing, China.

China is hosting the annual gathering of the global police force Interpol this week in Beijing.

President Xi Jinping greeted the delegates Tuesday before the opening day of the Interpol General Assembly, pledging to back Interpol's efforts to achieve "global security governance."

But human rights groups have questioned whether China is trying to use the France-based agency to arrest opponents of the ruling Communist Party, especially since last year's election of Chinese Vice Public Security Minister Meng Hongwei as Interpol's president.

Human Rights Watch says Beijing has misused Interpol's "red notice" arrest warrant system to arrest fugitive ex-officials and business people wanted for corruption, as well as political dissidents such as Dolkun Isa, a German-based activist ethnic Uighur activist.

The Uighurs are Turkish speaking Muslims from China's western region of Xinjiang and Beijing routinely accuses exiled Uighur activists of supporting terrorist activities in Xinjiang.

Uighur advocates have accused China of forcefully repressing Uighur cultural and religious beliefs.

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