National Ethnic Affairs Commission slams passage of Xinjiang-related bill

China's National Ethnic Affairs Commission on Wednesday firmly opposed and condemned the approval of a Xinjiang-related bill by the US House of Representatives, calling it a "gross interference in China's internal affairs and flagrant violation of international norms".

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

The so-called Xinjiang act distorts the facts and is full of prejudice against China's policy over Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. It obliterates Xinjiang's development achievements and ignores the true feelings of the people of all ethnic groups, the commission said, adding that it once again revealed the US House's double standards and logic of hegemony.

"Xinjiang has been an inseparable part of Chinese territory since the ancient times. Its affairs are purely internal affairs of our country and no external forces should be allowed to interfere," the commission said.

The commission said some US politicians have turned a blind eye to the violence incited by terrorism, separatism and religious extremism, and showed no concern for people's safety in the region under threat of terror.

"They now try to support the three evils through the so-called act of human rights. It fully exposed the sinister intentions of some US politicians and anti-China forces in their vain attempt to contain and split our country by the so-called 'Xinjiang issue'," it said.

It added that Xinjiang belongs to China and the Uyghurs are a member of the Chinese nation family. Any attempt to provoke frictions in ethnic relations and curb the development of the country is doomed to fail and will eventually become a laughingstock in the history.

"We do not cause problems, nor do we fear problems," it said, adding that people's will to safeguard ethnic solidarity and national unity is as firm as rock and the pace of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is irresistible.

The commission advised the US to immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs and Xinjiang affairs, otherwise they will inevitably bear their own consequences.