Germany says U.N. rights chief's trip to China fell short of expectation

BERLIN - A trip by U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet's to China fell short of expectation to provide a transparent clarification of human rights violation allegations in the region of Xinjiang, Germany's foreign ministry said on Monday.

"Due to the Chinese restrictions, free, unhindered access to people and places was not possible during the trip. This ruled out an independent assessment of the situation on site," a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement.

Still, Germany continues to expect that Bachelet will publish the announced report on the human rights situation in Xinjiang as soon as possible, the spokesperson added.