Whenever US talks of human rights, it's a sign that it's up to no good: China Daily editorial

By signing a bill into law on Wednesday mandating sanctions on those his administration claims are responsible for the "oppression of Muslims" in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the US president has once again demonstrated the willingness of the world's sole superpower to blatantly interfere in the internal affairs of another sovereign country — as well as its hypocrisy and double talk.

The fact that the US leader issued a signing statement that some of the bill's requirements might limit his constitutional authority to conduct diplomacy so he would regard them as advisory, not mandatory, suggests that it is simply another tool to be used against China as and when convenient.

But what puts the United States' "Uygur Human Rights Policy Act" to shame is the fact that China's relentless efforts to fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism in Xinjiang, including the education centers that Washington has called detention camps, are meant to protect the human rights of local residents of different ethnic groups.

Local residents of Xinjiang will never forget how terrorist attacks once deprived them of their right to a peaceful life. Forces of terrorism, extremism and separatism launched more than 1,000 terrorist attacks from 1990 to the end of 2016 in the region.

Thousands of innocent lives were lost, with their loved ones having no idea for what reasons their fathers, mothers, brothers or sisters or children would never come back from their shopping trips or just a walk outside.

Ironically, the US administration would have castigated the Chinese government as irresponsible if it had done nothing to crack down on terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang.

Thanks to China's intensified crackdown on terrorism, extremism and separatism, along with its education and training of those at risk of being influenced by extremist ideology, not a single terrorist attack has taken place in the autonomous region in the past more than three years since 2016. The social stability has contributed tremendously to the improvement in the living standards of local residents.

Yet Washington has never condemned the terrorists who claimed innocent lives by launching attacks. Neither has it shown any sympathy to those who lost loved ones in the terror attacks.

In the mind's eye of US politicians, it seems that the people in Xinjiang are not of flesh and blood like them, but rather an abstract means of putting more pressure on China. What matters to them is the demand of the extremists for the separation of the region no matter how absurd and ridiculous such a demand is.

With fighting against terrorism as an excuse, the US launched a war against a sovereign country and toppled a government on the basis of a threat that did not exist. The repercussions of that fabrication are still being felt today. The US' habit of intervening in other countries' internal affairs has left a trail of chaos and suffering in its wake.

Yet Washington has never exhibited any remorse for the consequences of its meddling.

Does anyone really believe that Washington cares about human rights?