Question: Recently, the BBC aired a programme accusing China’s Xinjiang of issues of “re-education centres”, “forced labour” and “destruction of Uyghur culture”. What is you comment?
Embassy Spokersperson: The BBC programme has been used as a platform to spread disinformation on Xinjiang for the purpose of smearing and rumour-mongering. We firmly reject and strongly condemn this.
China has made clear its stance on Xinjiang affairs on multiple occasions. The allegations of so-called "re-education centres", "forced labour" and "destruction of culture" are sheer lies of the century and a farce put on by some politicians, media organisations and scholars acting in collusion to smear China. Their relentless maneuvres to spread rumours and make trouble are in fact actions of political manipulation and economic coercion under the pretext of protecting human rights, with the real intention of undermining Xinjiang's prosperity and stability and containing China's development.
It must be pointed out that the Xinjiang-related issues have nothing to do with religions, ethnic groups or human rights, but everything to do with fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism. The Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has fought violent terrorist crimes in accordance with law and, at the same time, worked to address the root cause of terrorism. These efforts include education on de-radicalisation, promoting economic development, improving people’s life, strengthening ethnic solidarity, and fully safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of the people of all ethnic groups.
There is no so-called “re-education centre” in Xinjiang. The vocational education and training centres set up in accordance with law were schools. These schools fully implemented the basic principles of respecting and protecting human rights stipulated by the Constitution and laws of China. The dignity of trainees was fully protected. Insulting or maltreating trainees in any way was forbidden. Through education and training, the trainees' overall capability as well as their awareness of the nation, citizenship and rule of law was significantly enhanced. They also came to see the harmful nature of terrorism and extremism and broke free from the sway of terrorist and extremist ideas. The trainees in these centres have all graduated and are living a life as normal members of society. There is no special measure applied to them.
The Chinese government gives top priority to labour rights and protects the right of workers of all ethnic groups to participate in economic and social life and to share the benefits of economic and social development. China’s laws, including the Labour Law and Employment Promotion Law, have explicit requirements on the promotion of equal employment opportunities and prohibition of discrimination. There is no employment policy or action against minority groups in Xinjiang. The accusation of so-called “forced labour” in Xinjiang is a huge lie concocted by some anti-China forces in the US and some other Western countries without any factual basis.
China upholds the rule of law. In case investigations, the public security agencies strictly abide by the law. Illegal detention is strictly prohibited. The judiciary takes law as the only criterion and adheres to the principles of “innocent unless proven guilty”, evidentiary adjudication and legality. All legal cases shall be judged on their own merits. The innocent will not be wronged, and the guilty will not be spared.
Citizens of China enjoy freedom of religious belief as prescribed by the Constitution of China. No state agency, public organization or individual can compel citizens to believe in or not to believe in any religion; nor should they discriminate against citizens who believe in or do not believe in any religion. Muslims from various ethnic groups are free to practice their belief in mosques and at home according to religious doctrines, canons and traditional customs.
Over the years, we have been working to present the real Xinjiang to the world. As of today, over a dozen white papers have been issued on subjects such as counter-terrorism, eradication of extremism, protection of the rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and historical matters concerning the region. These documents provide comprehensive and detailed information on the population, history, culture, religion, ethnicity, labour, and human rights in Xinjiang. More than 70 press conferences on Xinjiang affairs have been held in response to the questions from Chinese and foreign media and journalists, including those regarding individual cases.
In recent years, more than 2,000 experts, scholars, journalists, diplomats and religious personnel from over 100 countries have visited Xinjiang. They have seen with their own eyes the social stability, economic development and people’s happy life in Xinjiang. At the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, nearly 100 countries unanimously expressed support for the Chinese government’s policy in Xinjiang and opposition to interference in China’s internal affairs in the name of human rights. Xinjiang will enjoy even better development, and the objective and fair-minded perception of China's policy in Xinjiang will only grow stronger.
We would also like to take this opportunity to point out that the so-called “Uyghur Tribunal” was nothing but a political tool crafted by the anti-China, separatist organization “World Uyghur Congress” and manipulated and sponsored by anti-China forces in the US and the West in an attempt to disrupt Xinjiang and smear China. They put together a handful of anti-China elements, hired actors to make false statements and falsify evidence. This so-called “tribunal” is completely void of any legal basis and has no credibility at all. The malicious intention of its previous anti-China activities have been laid bare by facts and deplored by perceptive people in the international community.
Some social media platforms exposed the "witness cost" of the "tribunal" and how it was shared among the "witnesses". Of the 100,700-pound total expenditure, the biggest share of 43,000 pounds went to an "anonymous witness" with the surname of Wang. This man, claiming to be an ex-police sent to investigate separatist activities in Xinjiang in 2018, has spread a large amount of disinformation about the region. In a CNN report, he changed his surname to Jiang. Even CNN admitted that it could not independently verify his statement.
The so-called “final ruling” by the “tribunal”, a machine churning out lies, was nothing but a political farce staged by a handful of despicable individuals.
It must be emphasised that Xinjiang affairs are China’s internal affairs and brook no external interference. The Chinese people, including local residents in Xinjiang, have the say about the situation in the region. Lies cannot cover up facts, or deceive the international community, still less stop Xinjiang from making further progress and achieve greater stability, development and prosperity. We urge the BBC to abide by the principles of objectivity, impartiality, authenticity and accuracy in reporting, and do more to promote communication, exchange and mutual understanding, not the opposite.
