At UN, China hits planned ‘vain’ event on Xinjiang

The Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations on Monday called on the US, the UK, Germany and some nongovernmental organizations to cancel an upcoming event in New York on the "human rights situation" in the Xinjiang autonomous region, saying it is premised on "sheer lies and political bias".

"The US, the UK, Germany and other co-sponsors, out of anti-China political motivation, are using human rights issues as a political tool in a vain attempt to create division and turbulence in Xinjiang, interfering in China's internal affairs and disrupting China's peaceful development," said a spokesperson for China's UN mission in a statement released Monday.

Xinjiang, located in Northwest China, "is at its best in history with stability, rapid economic development and harmonious co-existence among people of all ethnic groups", the spokesperson said. "The US and other co-sponsors are obsessed with provoking lies and trying to create turbulence in China," the statement said.

"This approach is strongly resented by all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, including the Uygur population, firmly opposed by all Chinese people, and doomed to fail," the statement said.

The spokesperson pointed out that with the COVID-19 pandemic still ravaging nations, many UN member states are calling for international solidarity in the global response.

The United States and other co-sponsors ignore that call and "persistently politicize human rights issues, provoke political confrontation and undermine the unity and collaboration of member states", the spokesperson said.

"Such practices gravely violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and norms of international relations," the statement said. "It severely undermines the efforts of member states in addressing global challenges and poisons cooperation in human rights and other areas, which will be firmly opposed by the vast member states.

"There has not been a single terrorist attack in Xinjiang over the past four years, and people of all ethnic groups in the region are living harmoniously and working peacefully," the statement continued.

Over the past six decades, Xinjiang's economy has grown more than 200-fold and its per capita GDP by nearly 40-fold, and residents' life expectancy has risen from 30 to 72 years. The ethnic Uygur population in Xinjiang grew from 5.55 million to 12.8 million in the past four decades.

China has made advancements in protecting human rights; "it is the US and other co-sponsors who need to reflect on their poor treatment of minorities in their own countries", said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson pointed out that the US is killing Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria even though it claims to care about their human rights.

Wars and military actions started by the US in the name of counterterrorism have caused more than 800,000 casualties, most of whom are civilians, and displacement of tens of millions, the spokesperson said.

"The US does not care about the death of nearly 1 million Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, but is "very keen" on Uygur Muslims in China's Xinjiang who are living peaceful and happy lives", said the spokesperson. "US hypocrisy is crystal clear, just like the weasel paying respect to the hen without the best of intentions."

Recently, the US and a small number of countries seem to have developed a routine to smear and attack China, the spokesperson said. "Rumors are first packaged as information leaked by 'scholars' and 'victims'", which are then "hyped up by media and followed by official intervention", said the spokesperson.

"The world sees clearly what the US cares about is not human rights in Xinjiang, but to create turbulence in Xinjiang and contain China," the spokesperson said.

At the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, more than 80 countries, including the vast number of Muslim countries, voiced their support in different ways for China's position on Xinjiang.

An increasing number of Western diplomats, independent scholars, think tanks and media organizations have made public statements and published reports exposing lies and rumors about Xinjiang, stating clearly that the allegations of "forced labor" or "genocide" in Xinjiang are groundless, the statement said.

For this particular event, it can be expected that the US and other co-sponsors, "following their old trick, will invite fake defendants and scholars to the event, like actors, to repeat their lies", the spokesperson said.

"If the US really cares about democracy and openness, why does the US refuse to listen to the voice of 25 million Xinjiang people of all ethnic groups? Why does the US block the coverage on the 12 white papers and 40 press conferences on Xinjiang? Why does the ambassadors of the US, the UK and a few other countries in China refuse the invitation for them to visit Xinjiang while so many other ambassadors have already been there?" the statement said. "That is because they fear the truth."

The spokesperson said the US and other co-sponsors "tirelessly fabricate lies and spread disinformation against China" at the UN out of anti-China political motivation.

"Such acts will only shoot themselves in the foot, damaging their own image and reputation. We trust the member states will see through this political scheme by the US and other co-sponsors, and choose to reject it," the statement said.