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Xinjiang
ChinaDiplomacy

China fires back at ‘shameless’ US over Xinjiang human rights abuse claims

  • Region’s government marks shift from defence to offence, calling out Washington’s ‘smear’ campaign despite its own failings on rights and race
  • Xinjiang-related issues highlight US anxiety over China, which has reached a ‘perverse, unreasonable and shameless stage’, spokesman says

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Workers at the construction site for the expansion project of the international airport in Kashgar, in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on August 7. Photo: Xinhua
Sarah Zheng
China promised to expose the US’ “ugly intentions” over claims of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, accusing the US of hypocrisy as it went on the offensive in its public relations campaign against Washington on Thursday.
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Xinjiang’s government shifted from a focus on arguing against allegations of forced labour and mass detention of Uygurs and other ethnic minorities in the region, to instead emphasise the US’ own human rights issues such as racial discrimination and mass surveillance.
Xu Guixiang, spokesman for the regional government, said the US had sought to “smear” Xinjiang counterterrorism efforts as policies of genocide and religious suppression, and had “used the excuse of human rights” to slap sanctions on officials and entities from the region.

01:50

China claims improved living standards and ethnic equality in Xinjiang while ignoring allegations

China claims improved living standards and ethnic equality in Xinjiang while ignoring allegations
“The US’ anxiety over China has been vividly shown on Xinjiang-related issues, and has reached a point where it is [at a] perverse, unreasonable and shameless stage,” Xu told a virtual press conference.

Washington had not owned up to its own human rights record, he argued, citing reports from US media and even playing footage from the award-winning Hollywood film 12 Years a Slave and the US documentary-drama miniseries, America: The Story of Us.

“The US has been preaching its so-called universal values and labelling itself as a defender of human rights, a beacon of freedom and a model of human rights, always taking a condescending position to shine a flashlight on other people but never reflecting on itself,” Xu said.

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“Although one cannot wake up a person who pretends to be sleeping, we can still expose their ugly intentions and behaviours. Today’s Xinjiang presser will remove the US’ veil and show the whole world its bloody history.”

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