Western countries including the United States and Australia have called on China to stop detaining Uighurs and other Muslims in secret political re-education camps, which activists say hold one million people.

Key points: China is suspected of detaining around one million Uighurs and other Muslims

China is suspected of detaining around one million Uighurs and other Muslims Officials rejected the criticism from Western nations, saying it was "politically driven"

Officials rejected the criticism from Western nations, saying it was "politically driven" China says it is facing a threat from Islamist militants and separatists

But China rejected the criticism of its suspected mass detention and heavy surveillance of Uighurs in the western region of Xinjiang, dismissing the allegations as "seriously far away from facts".

"We will not accept the politically driven accusations from a few countries that are fraught with biases and in total disregard of the facts," Le Yucheng — Chinese vice-minister of foreign affairs, who headed a 66-member delegation — told the United Nations Human Rights Council.

At a debate at the Geneva forum — which reports on alleged violations in each UN member state every five years and reviewed China's record on Tuesday — Beijing said it protected the freedoms of its 55 ethnic minorities.

China has said that Xinjiang faces a threat from Islamist militants and separatists.

"Stability is most important, prevention should be put first … Setting up the training centres is a preventive measure to combat terrorism," Mr Le said.

It rejects all accusations of mistreatment and denies mass internment, although Chinese officials have said some citizens guilty of minor offences were being sent to "vocational training centres" to work.

Another Chinese delegate said that authorities were "providing free-of-charge vocational training with a diploma after exams" to those who had been "coerced or lured" by extremist groups.

Western countries spoke out against what they described as a deterioration in China's human rights. ( AP: Ng Han Guan, file )

"The extreme terrorism in Xinjiang was quite serious, seriously undermining stability and tranquillity in the locality and aroused strong indignation from the people," said Yasheng Sidike, the Uighur Mayor of the Xinjiang capital Urumqi.

For the last 22 months there had been "no incident of violent terrorism", he added.

The ABC last week published an investigation showing the rapid expansion of 28 of China's detention camps in Xinjiang, using new research collated by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

US 'alarmed' by worsening crackdown in Xinjiang

Le Yucheng said the criticism was "fraught with biases and in total disregard of the facts". ( Keystone via AP: Salvatore Di Nolfi )

A UN panel of human rights experts said on August 10 it had received many credible reports that one million ethnic Uighurs in China were being held in what resembles a "massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy".

Western countries spoke out against what they described as a deterioration in China's human rights since the last review in 2013, especially over its treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang.

"We are alarmed by the Government of China's worsening crackdown on Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslims in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region," US charge d'affaires Mark Cassayre said.

The United States urged China to "abolish all forms of arbitrary detention, including internment camps in Xinjiang, and immediately release the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of individuals detained in these camps," he said.

Australia's representative at the debate also called on China to end arbitrary detention in Xinjiang, allow freedom of movement for Uighurs and Tibetans, and allow foreign media and officials access to Xinjiang and Tibet.

Up to 1,000 Tibetan and Uighur protesters gathered outside the UN building during the debate. ( Keystone via AP: Salvatore Di Nolfi )

Both countries called for officials to release jailed human rights activists, with Mr Cassayre specifically naming Wang Quanzhang, Ilham Tohti and Huang Qi.

Beijing should "halt massive imprisonment" and "guarantee freedom of religion and belief, including in Tibet and Xinjiang," French ambassador Francois Rivasseau said.

John Fisher of Human Rights Watch said after the debate that China had "failed to offer credible explanations" for grave violations, including "political education" camps.

Up to 1,000 Tibetan and Uighur protesters from around Europe protested outside the UN headquarters in Geneva during the debate. They carried signs saying "STOP China ethnic cleansing of Uighurs" and "Tibet dying, China lies".

ABC/Reuters