Residents visit a night market on May 30, 2021 in Hotan, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.Photo: CFP

 
The spokesperson of the Embassy of China in Belgium on Wednesday responded to a proposal related to China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region passed by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, saying it grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and is a serious violation of international law.

On the same day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press conference that China has decided to sanction Belgian lawmaker Samuel Cogolati for spreading lies and false information and pushing the proposal, which disregards facts and truth.

The Belgian Parliament passed on Tuesday a motion recognizing "genocide" against Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang region.

Despite China's stern position, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives insisted on passing the Xinjiang-related proposal, which deliberately smears and attacks China and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. This is a serious violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations, and an insult and provocation to the 1.4 billion Chinese people. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this degrading act, the spokesperson of the Embassy of China in Belgium said on Wednesday.

The slanderous claim that Xinjiang has "serious risks of genocide" and "mass violations of human rights that may constitute crimes against humanity" is pure nonsense. The so-called evidence that slanders China's Xinjiang policy has come from nothing more than some fake reports by a handful of anti-China scholars, fake news from some Western media, and fake stories made up by several lying witnesses, said the spokesperson.

"Xinjiang affairs are China's internal affairs… External forces' attempts to contain China's development through Xinjiang-related matters will never succeed," said the spokesperson, "We strongly urge the Belgian Federal Chamber of Representatives and individual politicians to respect the facts, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop seeking political profits through Xinjiang-related matters."

Zhao told the Wednesday press conference that "the relevant lawmaker maliciously spread lies and misinformation and gravely undermined China's sovereignty and interests. China has decided to sanction him."

Zhao noted, "We talked about truth and facts on Xinjiang too many times. The allegation of 'genocide' in Xinjiang is a total rumor and lie fabricated by people with ulterior motives. The real intention is to disrupt Xinjiang's social stability and contain China's development."

The FM spokesperson also urged anti-China politicians with ulterior motives on the Belgian side to respect facts, stop seeking political manipulation by taking advantage of Xinjiang-related issues and interfering in China's domestic affairs in the name of human rights and avoid damaging the overall interests of China-Belgium relations.

Global Times