Remarks by Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Statement
2021-01-21 03:27

On January 19, 2021, the U.S. side issued a statement on Xinjiang in the name of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The statement ignores facts and makes groundless attacks on the Chinese government's policy on Xinjiang. This is a gross interference in China's internal affairs and a serious violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations. The Chinese side expresses its strong concern and firm opposition to it.

Xinjiang-related issues are not about ethnicity, religion or human rights, but about anti-violence, anti-terrorism, anti-separatism and de-radicalization. For some time, under the combined influence of ethnic separatists, religious extremists and terrorists, China's Xinjiang was plagued by frequent terrorist attacks, which gravely threatened the lives and wealth of people of various ethnicities and trampled on human dignity. Facing these present threats, Xinjiang has taken resolute actions to fight terrorism and extremism in accordance with law.

Respecting and protecting human rights is a principle enshrined in the Constitution of China. The fight against terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang is an important part of the same battle being waged by the international community; it is in keeping with the purposes and principles of the United Nations to combat terrorism and safeguard basic human rights. These measures have proved to well serve Xinjiang's situation and produced notable results: extremism has been effectively contained; public security substantially improved; and people's basic rights to life and development are protected to a maximum level.

The so-called "genocide" in Xinjiang is simply a lie. It is a farce used to discredit China. In fact, from 2010 to 2018, the population of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang grew by 2.87 million or 22.14%, and the Uyghur population there rose from 10.17 million to 12.72 million, up by 2.55 million or 25%, higher than the 14% growth for the whole population in Xinjiang. The fact is there for everyone to see, but the U.S. side has chosen to turn a blind eye and get obsessed with its anti-China illusion.

Facts are facts; they are not to be obscured by lies: Today, thanks to the efforts of people of all ethnicities, Xinjiang is safe and stable, its economy is thriving and people there live peaceful lives. Not a single violent terrorist attack has occurred in the past four years, and the number of criminal cases and other kinds of public order cases has fallen significantly. From 2014 to 2019, Xinjiang's GDP grew from 919.59 billion yuan to 1.36 trillion yuan, with an annual growth of 7.2%, and the per capita disposable income rose by an average of 9.1% every year. More than 3 million people were lifted out of poverty, and so were all the 3,666 villages and 32 towns that used to be on the poverty list. Absolute poverty has been eliminated in Xinjiang once and for all. Social security continues to improve there, with universal access to free physical checkups and 99.7% of local residents covered by basic medical insurance.

But some people on the U.S. side do not like these facts and choose to ignore them. By spreading a great deal of disinformation surrounding Xinjiang, they attempt to sow discord in Xinjiang's ethnic relations, undercut social stability, impede Xinjiang's development and mislead the international community. We urge these people to respect facts and stop weaving lies and interfering in China's internal affairs. Otherwise, there will be no meaningful "political legacy" left behind them.