China has vigorously defended the detention of at least 1m of its Muslim citizens, following a backlash from Muslim-majority nations and the US over what has been criticised as a repressive policy of mass incarceration.

In August, a UN panel heard that as many as 3m Uighurs — a Muslim, Turkic people native to Xinjiang on China’s western frontier — have been detained in the camps over the past two years. Children have been forced into orphanages as their parents disappeared and Uighurs overseas have lost contact with their families, the Financial Times has reported.

A report on state broadcaster CCTV and interviews in state media this week portrayed the camps as “vocational training centres” where Uighurs learn their “legal rights” and how to speak Mandarin Chinese. Activities include volleyball games and singing and dancing contests.