Australia suspends human rights partnership with China

Australia has suspended its human rights partnership with China. The move follows leaked documents published by the New York Times exposing China's actions against ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region.

Australia has committed to pursuing China over its mass detention of more than one million Muslim Uighurs. Source: AAP

After two decades of partnership, the Department of Foreign Affairs has suspended Australia's Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program with China. 

It comes as Australian politicians express their concerns over China's treatment of ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region, following a New York Times expose. 

The Times cites 400 pages of leaked internal Chinese Communist Party documents which detail the government's actions relating to Muslim minorities, in particular, Uighurs and Kazaks. 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has released a statement saying the reports are disturbing.

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