Xinjiang govt slams passage of bill by US House

The regional government, legislature and political advisory body of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region expressed on Wednesday strong condemnation and firm opposition to the Xinjiang-related Act passed by the US House of Representatives. 

The US House of Representatives passed the so-called "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019" on Tuesday local time, maliciously attacking the human rights conditions in Xinjiang.

The Act blatantly slanders the human rights condition in Xinjiang and smears China's counter-terrorism and de-extremism efforts. It disregards the objective fact that people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang living in unity and peace and smears Xinjiang's stable development, according to a statement released by the Standing Committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional People's Congress, adding that it is an "outrageous interference in China's internal affairs".

"In Xinjiang affairs, only the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have the say," it said.

It said the region has always resolutely cracked down on violent terrorist crimes and put priority safeguarding people's rights and safety according to law. Xinjiang has not experienced any violent cases for three consecutive years which met the ardent expectations of people of all ethnic groups and guaranteed them the basic rights to life, health and development.

Practice has proved that such crackdown on terrorism and extremism conforms to the rule of law, and is an important part of the international anti-terrorism efforts and in line with the principles of the United National in fighting against terrorism and safeguarding basic human rights.

In Xinjiang, people of all ethnic groups are politically equal and enjoy the same rights to manage the country and social affairs according to law, regardless of the population or different religious beliefs.

The region's regulations on religious affairs also guaranteed residents' freedom of religious belief and protected their normal religious activities.

The region's government said in its statement that "Xinjiang's economy is developing continuously, the society is harmonious and stable, people's livelihood is improving and people are tightly united. Xinjiang is at the best period of prosperity and development in history. However, some people in the US refuse to see the good situation in Xinjiang and filed gross accusations, disregarded the facts and confounded right and wrong in order to slander Xinjiang."

From 1990 to the end of 2016, terrorism, separatism and religious extremism forces have created thousands of violent terrorist incidents, causing great casualties and property losses, seriously affecting social order and trampled on people's rights to life. Therefore cracking down the evils and maintaining social stability, peace and order have always been an urgent need in Xinjiang, the government said.

The government said Xinjiang's vocational training centers are in the fundamental interests of ethnic groups and are completely correct. The centers educate local people with common language, legal knowledge and vocational skills and the purpose is to eliminate terrorism and extremism from the source, but not the so-called "national oppression", "illegal detention", "concentration camp" or "human rights violation".

"We urge some people in the US to abandon the Cold War mentality and respect the objective facts. Do not tarnish the image of Xinjiang in order to achieve the unspeakable purposes and do not go further on the road of hegemonism," the government said.

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference said in its statement that the passage of the Act has greatly hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and sent a serious false signal to the terrorist forces.

It said the nature of the Act is extremely bad with sinister intention and its fundamental purpose is to undermine the prosperity and stability of Xinjiang.

China's achievements in counter-terrorism have been witnessed by people all over the world and gained wide support. The Act, however, is full of hypocrisy and prejudice and lacks the minimum respect for the safety of people's lived in Xinjiang, it said.

The US's double standards shown in the Act in essence is the protection and indulgence of terrorism which seriously violates the international morality and human conscience, it said, adding that such hegemonism is not popular and has hurt the world.

"The so-called bill will only make the Chinese people, including the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, become more aware of the vicious intentions and hegemonic nature of the US and will only make the Chinese people more united," it said, adding that the US plot is doomed to end in failure."