China does not rule out Tibet visit by U.N. rights chief

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has not ruled out a visit by the United Nations human rights chief to its unrest-plagued regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, but said on Thursday he must apply through "appropriate channels".

Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said last week he was in talks with Chinese authorities on visiting Tibet. Asked whether he would also visit Xinjiang, he did not rule out the possibility, but said it would be premature to discuss details of the trip.