United Nations Special Rapporteur on slavery Tomoya Obokata released a report Tuesday on contemporary forms of slavery where he found that it was “reasonable to conclude” that forced labor “among Uygur, Kazakh and other ethnic minorities in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing” is taking place in China’s Xinjiang region.

Obokata’s assessment was made “based on an independent assessment of available information, including submissions by stakeholders, independent academic research, open sources, testimonies of victims, consultations with stakeholders, and accounts provided by the Government.”

China has rejected all accusations of forced labor and abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Following the report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin spoke at a daily briefing on Wednesday stating that “A certain special rapporteur chooses to believe in lies and disinformation about Xinjiang spread by the U.S. and some other Western countries and anti-China forces.”

This report is separate from United Nations High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s assessment of human rights in Xinjiang which is expected to be published before she leaves office this year.