'Demographic genocide' in Xinjiang utterly groundless: white paper

BEIJING - Accusations of "suppression of birth rates" and "demographic genocide" in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are utterly groundless, a white paper said Sunday.

Anti-China forces have accused Xinjiang of carrying out "demographic genocide" by forcing birth control on the Uygurs and other ethnic minority groups to suppress their birth rates, said the white paper titled "Xinjiang Population Dynamics and Data."

The white paper, issued by the State Council Information Office, said Xinjiang implements its family planning policy in accordance with the law, and forced birth control and pregnancy tests are strictly prohibited.

It is up to individuals to decide whether or not to use contraceptives and how to use them. No organization or individual may interfere with this freedom, said the document.

Statistics show that the Uygur population has been growing steadily and significantly over the decades since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, according to the white paper.