Hawzah News Agency - More than 30 countries have signed a letter defending China's treatment of Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang region in response to Western criticism.

Ambassadors of 37 states from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America praised China’s “contribution to the international human rights cause” in the letter sent to the UN's Human Rights Council on Friday.

The states, including prominent members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, such as Pakistan , said China had faced terrorism, separatism and religious extremism in Xinjiang.

But the signatories said China had restored peace and security in the region through counterterrorism measures and vocational training.

“We note with appreciation that human rights are respected and protected in China in the process of counterterrorism and de-radicalisation,” the letter read.