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Things to Know about the Lies on Xinjiang
外交部-驻外馆
2021-10-26 14:29

On 8 October, Haaretz published an article titled “Who speaks of the annihilation of the Uyghurs?” that hyped up a “hearing” held by the so-called “Uyghur Tribunal”. Full of disinformation and distorted facts, the article slandered the Chinese government, tainted China’s image and misled the public. We find it necessary to present some facts and introduce the real situation of Xinjiang to the readers.

Fact No.1: the “Uyghur Tribunal” is a private company, not a court. Lawful as it may sound, it has nothing to do with the law. Adding the word “court” to its name gives it no basis or authority of international law.

Fact No.2: those who have ties to the “Uyghur Tribunal” are anti-China forces. Its largest fund contributor is World Uyghur Congress, an anti-China organization that instigates separatist activities on Xinjiang. The “chairperson” used to be a senior British agent, is notorious around the world for filing frivolous lawsuits under the cloak of human rights. Its so-called “experts” are rumor-mongers focusing on smearing China. “Witnesses” the organizers put together are merely actors who made up stories of “persecution” in Xinjiang to spread “lies of the century”, including the so-called “mass detention”, “suppression of ethnic culture”, “forced sterilization” and “forced labour”. Their “testimonies”, filled with lies and disinformation, have become a laughing stock as they are against even the basic facts and common sense. Media around the world have exposed with proof that “Uyghur victims” are liars being used by anti-China forces as tools to tarnish China. You may check out “The Greyzone”, an independent news website, and other media outlets to crosscheck. 

Fact No.3: the “Uyghur Tribunal” is a farce staged by a handful of anti-China forces. Since the day it was created, the World Uyghur Congress has been colluding with the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a UN-listed terrorist organization, plotting violent, terrorist and separatist activities in Xinjiang. The “Uyghur Tribunal” essentially takes the anti-China label as a lucrative business, providing a platform for separatists to stage their farce, and collect commissions from anti-China forces by peddling lies and disinformation about Xinjiang. Calling itself a “tribunal”, the “Uyghur Tribunal” has nothing to do with the law, justice or truth. It is a farce that aims to slander China’s Xinjiang region, discredit China, mislead people around the world, and undermine China’s relations with other countries. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn such egregious act. 

Lies on Xinjiang cannot hold water. The Uyghur ethnic group is a member of the big family of the Chinese nation. No one has cared more about Xinjiang’s development and its residents’ well-being than the Chinese government and people. Our Constitution and the Law on Ethnic Regional Autonomy clearly stipulate the legal status, ethnic relations, and rights and interests of all ethnic groups in China. As Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, all ethnic groups in China are closely united as family members, just like the seeds of a pomegranate that stick together. They come to each other’s aid when needed, and no one should be left behind. Today, Xinjiang enjoys economic prosperity, social stability and ethnic unity. China’s Xinjiang policy has won the wholehearted support of people of all ethnic groups in the region, including the Uyghurs. Over the past four decades and more, the annual growth rate of per capita disposable income in Xinjiang has been above 12% on average. In the first half of this year, Xinjiang's GDP reached 732.89 billion RMB, an increase of 9.9% year-on-year. It’s fair to say Xinjiang is embracing its best development period in history. 

The “Xinjiang-related issues” are not about human rights, ethnic groups or religions, but about combating terrorism, separatism and extremism. From 1990 to 2016, ethnic separatists, religious extremists, and violent terrorists plotted and conducted several thousand violent, terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, posing a grave threat on people of various ethnic groups. In response, the Chinese government took counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts in accordance with the law. Our fight against violence and terrorism has significantly improved public security, and protected all residents’ right to life, health and development, among other basic rights. Not a single terrorist case occurred in Xinjiang over the past four years or so. The infiltration of extremism has been curbed, and peace and harmony restored. The sense of fulfillment, happiness and security of all ethnic groups has significantly increased.

The vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang are not “concentration camps”, but preventative counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures. The allegation of “genocide” cannot be more absurd. As stated in the recently released white paper titled Xinjiang Population Dynamics and Data by the Chinese government, Xinjiang’s population grew by 18.5% from 2010 to 2020, 1.8 times of the average growth rate of our total population. The population of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang increased by 14.27%, from 13.06 million to 14.93 million. The Uyghur population increased by 16.23%, from 10 million to 11.62 million. Over the past six decades, life expectancy for Uyghurs rose from 30 to 72 years. Is this even in the slightest sense of “genocide”? More than 95% of the cotton fields in northern Xinjiang have mechanized production, and the overall machine-picked cotton planting area accounts for 69.83% of the total in Xinjiang. How could this have anything to do with “forced labor”?

I believe people around the world, including our Israeli friends, are sharp-eyed when the anti-China company Uyghur Tribunal attempts to deceive and delude people in the disguise of “court”, and are wise enough to denounce disinformation. As China’s Xinjiang enjoys better development, and as more people around the world are sending out objective and impartial voices on Xinjiang, the “Uyghur Tribunal” and its like will eventually find no audience and only become a laughing stock.

China’s Xinjiang is a wonderful land. We welcome Israeli friends to visit Xinjiang, to see the region with your own eyes, to talk to local people, to explore the real Xinjiang, and to enjoy its beauty. We also call on every media agency that upholds justice and professional ethics to respect facts and refrain from providing stages for certain anti-China forces to spread lies on Xinjiang.


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