Children have fun in "Dove Lane" in the old town Tuancheng of Hotan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 27, 2020. (SADAT / XINHUA)
BEIJING/BRUSSELS – China's top legislature and the Chinese Mission to the EU voiced stern opposition to a so-called resolution adopted by the European Parliament on the “human rights situation in Xinjiang”.
China firmly opposes the European Parliament's "political manipulation and gross interference in China's internal affairs under the guise of human rights," said You Wenze, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress.
Since the founding of New China over 70 years ago, continuous progress has been made in the human rights cause in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, he said.
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The country's efforts in counter-terrorism and deradicalization have ensured the safety of life and property of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang to the greatest extent, and made positive contributions to the cause of human rights across the world and the global fight against terrorism, said the spokesperson.
No lie or fallacy can deny the fact that Xinjiang has made historic progress in human rights development and no disinformation can hinder Xinjiang's development and prosperity.
Spokesperson, Chinese Mission to the EU
“Xinjiang is currently in the best period of development in history with social stability, economic prosperity and residents living a peaceful and happy life.”
Attempts by anti-China forces in the European Parliament to smear and slander China's Xinjiang policy are aimed to sow discord among various ethnic groups in China, taint China's image and contain its development, You said, adding that all such acts are doomed to fail.
Xinjiang-related issues are by no means about human rights, ethnicity or religion, but about fighting violent terrorism and separatism, he said.
Xinjiang affairs are purely China's internal affairs and brook no external interference, he said, urging the European Parliament to immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Xinjiang-related issues.
Chinese mission refutes resolution
Refuting the European Parliament resolution, the Chinese Mission to the EU said the resolution is "in total disregard of facts with fabrication and confounding black and white”.
It maliciously attacks the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese government's governance of the region, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and seriously violates international law and basic norms governing international relations, said a mission spokesperson.
"We strongly deplore and firmly oppose it," said the spokesperson.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese government has taken a people-centered approach towards human rights protection, enriched its governance strategy and vigorously developed various undertakings in Xinjiang, said the spokesperson.
The cause of human rights in Xinjiang is booming, and various rights of people of all ethnic groups, such as civil, political, economic, social, cultural and religious freedom, have been effectively guaranteed. From 1955 to 2020, the region's GDP has expanded by 160 times, its per capita regional GDP up by 30 times, bringing about a historic solution to absolute poverty, the spokesperson noted.
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There is one mosque for every 530 Muslims in Xinjiang, a ratio that is higher than that in many Western countries and Islamic countries. At present, Xinjiang has entered its best period in history with social harmony and stability, and happy, peaceful life for its people, the spokesperson added.
“These are all undeniable facts.”
Xinjiang-related issues are in fact about fighting terrorism, extremism and separatism, not about human rights or religion. For a long time, separatists, religious extremists and terrorists carried out thousands of violent terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, causing heavy innocent casualties, said the spokesperson.
Performers dance during the Dragon Boat Festival at an intangible cultural heritage exhibition park in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 25, 2020. (HU HUHU / XINHUA)
In response to these atrocities, China has adopted counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures in accordance with the law, guaranteeing people's basic human rights, such as the right to subsistence and development, to the greatest possible extent, the spokesperson said.
There have been no violent terrorist attack in Xinjiang for over five consecutive years. All foreigners who have visited Xinjiang and adopted an impartial and objective attitude believe that Xinjiang's experience in counter-terrorism and deradicalization is worth learning from, the spokesperson noted.
The so-called allegation of "genocide" is a flat-out lie of the century, which was an ugly farce directed by anti-China forces. From the first national census in 1953 to the seventh one in 2020, the Uygur population in Xinjiang went up from 3.6 million to 11.62 million, said the spokesperson.
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"No lie or fallacy can deny the fact that Xinjiang has made historic progress in human rights development and no disinformation can hinder Xinjiang's development and prosperity," the spokesperson argued.
"We urge the European Parliament to respect facts, not to go further down the wrong path, immediately stop smearing and attacking the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese government's governance of the region, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," the spokesperson said.