Robinson secures permission from Chinese rulers for visit to Tibet

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson, has secured permission from the Chinese authorities to travel to Tibet as part of her visit to China which starts at the weekend.

The approval to visit Tibet, which was annexed by China in 1959, is seen as a breakthrough for Mrs Robinson, who has lobbied hard to be allowed travel there. She is expected to spend up to three days in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, during her 10-day visit to China, where she will visit Beijing and Shanghai. However, final details have yet to be completed, having been delayed by the intensive negotiations. As this is the first visit by a UN human rights commissioner to China, Mrs Robinson faces the challenge of broaching human rights abuses without offending her hosts.

While Chinese officials are anxious to show their commitment to human rights, they were concerned that the visit could deteriorate into a high-profile standoff between the High Commissioner and the Chinese government. According to the US State Department, China's human rights record improved somewhat last year but "widespread and well-documented human rights abuses" continue. These include torture, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detention, forced abortion and sterilisation, suppression of non-approved religious groups, oppression of ethnic minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang and intolerance of press freedom.

Similar criticisms are made by Amnesty International and many human rights groups doubt that the West is prepared to take action against China because of its economic muscle. At this year's meeting of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, the EU failed to sponsor a motion critical of China. The previous year, it was badly split on the issue.