“It is about developing Muslim countries.”

He said this when asked if the summit would make a stand on the treatment of the Uighurs as well as the Saudi-led operation in Yemen.

China has faced mounting international criticism for rounding up an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic minorities in a network of internment camps.

Beijing initially denied the existence of these camps, but has since labelled them as “vocational training centres” to combat terrorism.

Today, the European Parliament called for targeted sanctions to be imposed on Chinese officials.

Meanwhile, the operation in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia and participated by other Sunni-majority nations, began in 2015 and is still continuing. It was mounted against Houthi rebels, comprising Shia Muslims, backed by Iran.

It began when the Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country, including the capital Sana’a, and ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.