Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has called for a transparent clarification of allegations in connection with revelations about persecution and mass detention in the north-west Chinese region of Xinjiang.

At a one-hour video conference with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Tuesday, the minister "also addressed the shocking reports and new documentation of the most serious human rights violations in Xinjiang," said a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.

Human rights are an elementary part of the international order, and Germany is committed to protecting them worldwide.

According to media reports, new disclosures from a data leak illustrate the extent of the persecution and mass detention in Xinjiang.

A media group including the news magazine Der Spiegel, Bayerischer Rundfunk, the British BBC, USA Today and the newspaper Le Monde reported on the Xinjiang Police Files.

According to this information, the information contradicts official Chinese statements that the camps are “further training facilities” that are attended voluntarily.

In the talks with Wang Yi, Baerbock emphasized the importance of international cooperation in view of the numerous global challenges, said the spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office.

However, such cooperation can only take place on the basis of the fundamental norms of the international order, which must be respected and defended by all.

Germany is appealing to all members of the international community to condemn Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and to assume their responsibility to protect international law and the United Nations Charter.

The greatest challenge for the international community is the climate crisis, "which we can only fight effectively together," Baerbock made clear in the conversation.

In order to keep the world on the 1.5 degree path, all countries would have to make their climate targets more ambitious, she demanded.

Germany therefore wants to intensify its cooperation with China in this area.