CHINA / SOCIETY
'We wish UN human rights chief can see a real Xinjiang and introduce it to the world,' says Xinjiang official
Published: May 25, 2022 02:28 AM
People walk outside the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on September 20, 2021. Photo: VCG
People walk outside the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on September 20, 2021. Photo: VCG

We wish Ms Bachelet can see a real Xinjiang and introduce it to the whole world, Xu Guixiang, the spokesperson of the Xinjiang regional government, told a press conference on Tuesday over the region's fight of anti-terrorism and de-radicalization in accordance with the law.

At the invitation of the Chinese government, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, is visiting China from May 23 to 28.

Xu said at the press conference that Bachelet would communicate with representatives from various fields. Due to the requirement of anti-epidemic measures in Xinjiang, Bachelet will not accept interviews by media during the visit but she will reveal information about her trip at a proper timing.

In response to the irresponsible remarks by some people that the visits of some foreign diplomats to Xinjiang were "well arranged," Xu refuted that these people just expected to see the alleged "internment camps," "genocide," "forced labor" and "repression on ethnic minorities," which in fact does not exist in Xinjiang.

If they want to see these things they should go to the US. These do not exist in Xinjiang, Xu said.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Tuesday also released some so-called secret documents about "internment camps" for ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The fight against terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang is in accordance with the situation in the region and the interests and wishes of the local people while complying with international common practices. However, some media, regardless of the sufferings of residents in Xinjiang and local efforts and achievements in anti-terrorism and deradicalization, smear the region's struggles using fake allegations. They have lost the ethics media professionals should have and become a paid tool for anti-China forces such as the US and some anti-China forces, which we despise, Xu noted.

The Chinese Ambassador to the UK slammed the BBC on Twitter on Tuesday, saying that it is a "shame for the BBC to carry the fabricated story about so-called 'detention camps.' Pathetic for the media, in cahoots with the notorious rumormonger, to once again spread disinformation about Xinjiang. Your smearing campaign will never obstruct China from making progress!"

According to a senior official from Xinjiang's public security department, the region has launched strict campaigns against violent terrorist activities in recent years in accordance to related laws and regulations.

Since 2014, local authorities cracked down 1,588 violent and terrorist groups and seized 12,995 suspects and 2,052 explosive devices. They also dealt with 4,858 illegal religious events concerning 30,645 people and confiscated 345,229 illegal publications during the same period, the official said at the press conference.

The region has always followed laws and regulations and kept improving the local legal system to support the fight against terrorism and extremism, Xu noted.

The legitimate rights of criminal suspects have also been fully protected in accordance with the law, Xu noted.