Q: Recently, based on the so-called independent report of an anti-China think tank, certain Belgian media claimed that there was “conclusive evidence” of so-called “genocide” in Xinjiang. What is your comment?

A: China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it. We have repeatedly reiterated that Xinjiang affairs are purely China’s internal affairs, and Xinjiang-related matters are not ethnic, religious, or human rights matters, but are counter-terrorism, de-radicalization, and anti-separatism matters. It is a great insult and offense to the Chinese people to groundlessly accuse China of the so-called “genocide” based on Xinjiang-related lies and false information spread by some anti-China think tanks and politicians in the United States and the West. I would like to make the following clarifications.

First, genocide is defined in strict terms by international law, and it takes a specific legal procedure to identify the crime. Since the UN General Assembly passed the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in December 1948, most of the major genocide cases have been determined by the International Court of Justice and special tribunals authorized by the UN Security Council. In addition, no country, organization or individual has the qualification and power to arbitrarily determine that other countries have committed “genocide”. There is absolutely no “genocide” in Xinjiang. If Xinjiang, which is peaceful, tranquil, and well-developed in all aspects, can be regarded as genocide, can it be considered that genocide has spread all over the world?

Second, there are no so-called “detention camps”, “forced migration”, or “compulsory sterilization” in Xinjiang. The vocational education and training centers established by Xinjiang in accordance with the law are of school in nature. Most of the trainees have achieved stable employment and enjoyed a peaceful life through participating in the training, and the education and training center fully respects and protects the trainees’ freedom of religious belief, ethnic customs, and the use of their ethnic language. The personal freedom and personal dignity of the students are fully guaranteed. There is no so-called “suppression of ethnic minorities” or “persecution of Muslims”.

China has always implemented a more accommodating childbirth policy for ethnic minorities compared with the Han majority. In the over 40 years from 1978 to the present, the Uyghur population in Xinjiang has more than doubled. From 2010 to 2018 alone, the Uyghur population in Xinjiang has increased by 25%, which is higher than the increase of the entire Xinjiang population and more than 10 times the increase of the Han population in Xinjiang during the same period. People of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang may work outside the region which enables them to earn more and shake off poverty. Xinjiang’s labor and employment policy complies with Chinese laws, as well as international labor and human rights standards.

Third, the so-called independent report on Xinjiang issued by the Newlines Institute as cited by the media is simply not credible. The reliability of the Institute and its funder, the Fairfax University of America (FXUA) has been widely questioned on social media. Tom Fowdy, an Oxford graduate and East Asia specialist, revealed that the Newlines Institute is actually a front for the Institute of Islamic Thought, an Islamist neo-conservative organization in the US linked to Egypt’s Muslim brotherhood, whose members have pleaded guilty to sponsoring terrorism. The regulatory agency of the State of Virginia in the United States once criticized the quality and rigor of Fairfax University’s online education program, and the school was almost forced to close as a result. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, the school was registered between 2020 and 2021. There are 153 students in total. That such a report with an extremely suspicious professional background should be widely reported by Western mainstream media makes one wonder the extent of underlying political manipulation.

We hope that the relevant media and personnel will respect the facts, discard prejudice, stop spreading false information, and view and report on China in a truthful, objective and fair manner.