Local residents walk in a street at a scenic spot in the ancient city of Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 16, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

A spokesperson of China's top legislature said on Friday that China strongly condemns the so-called resolution on "the human rights situation in Xinjiang" adopted by the European Parliament, and urged it to immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs. 

On June 9, the European Parliament passed a resolution on "the human rights situation in Xinjiang," criticizing the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang region and alleging that China's relevant measures amount to crimes against humanity and represent a serious risk of "genocide."

China firmly opposes the European Parliament's political manipulation and interference in China's internal affairs under the guise of "human rights," You Wenze, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), said on Friday.

"Respecting and protecting human rights is an important principle of China's Constitution," You said. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China more than 70 years ago, Xinjiang has been making progress in promoting human rights. China has launched anti-terrorism and de-radicalization campaigns in accordance with the law, effectively curbed the frequent occurrence of terrorist activities, ensured the safety of life and property of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang to the maximum extent, and made positive contributions to the global human rights and anti-terrorism drive, You said.

A spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU said on Thursday that the relevant resolution of the European Parliament is in total disregard of facts, noting it's fabricated and confounds black and white.

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. Life expectancy in Xinjiang has increased from 30 years in 1949 to 74.7 years in 2019.

There is one mosque for every 530 Muslims in Xinjiang region, 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 of Chinese Mission to the EU said.

The so-called "genocide" is a flat-out lie of the century, which is an ugly farce directed by anti-China forces, the spokesperson said.

"History tolerates no distortion, truth can't be denied," You said. Out of political interests, some anti-China forces in the European Parliament are disregarding objective facts, smearing China's Xinjiang policy, spreading Xinjiang-related lies maliciously and politicizing human rights issues, You said.

Their purpose is to sow discord among ethnic groups in China and defame and contain China, and their actions are doomed to fail, according to You.

Xinjiang-related issues are not about human rights, ethnicity or religion at all, but about combating terrorism and separatism, You said, noting that Xinjiang affairs are purely China's internal affairs, and no external forces are allowed to interfere.

Global Times