Australia has joined a group of 23 countries including Britain, the United States, Germany, Japan and Canada to condemn China's treatment of Uighur and other minorities in the western Xinjiang region.

The statement, delivered by Britain's ambassador to the United Nations Karen Pierce, raised concerns over "credible reports of mass detention" and efforts to restrict cultural and religious practices which has "disproportionately" targeted ethnic Uighurs in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and China's President Xi Jinping at the G20 in Osaka. Credit:Adam Taylor/PMO

The group pushed China to urgently implement recommendations by independent UN experts on the situation.

"We call on the Chinese government to uphold its national laws and international obligations and commitments to respect human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, in Xinjiang and across China," Ms Pierce said.