China's embassy in the UK criticizes sanctions

China's embassy in the United Kingdom said on Tuesday it strongly opposes the UK government's decision to sanction Chinese officials over what London alleges are human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.

Chargé d'Affaires a. i. and Minister Yang Xiaoguang said the sanctions were based on "lies and unwarranted accusations", and were using human rights as an excuse.

He said China "reserves the right to take measures" in response to the sanctions, which were announced on Monday and which included action against four officials and one organization, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau.

"We express strong opposition and strong dissatisfaction over the decision of the UK government," Yang said during an interview broadcast on the Channel 4 news program. "This decision of sanctions against Chinese personnel or entities is unfair, unwarranted, and it is based on misinformation and not facts, and we reserve the right to take measures to safeguard our interests as well as our dignity."

Yang said China is "carefully studying" the move made by the UK and "will make proper measures in due time".

Some Western politicians and media outlets have recently claimed that China has "concentration camps" in Xinjiang to engage in activities including "genocide", "forced labor", "mass sterilization", and the "separation of Uyghur children from their parents".

Yang said China has reiterated that such places do not exist.

Such groundless accusations about Xinjiang, Yang said, are the "lies of the century".

The British media's alleged proof that such places exist are nothing but lies and false accusations without any credibility, he said. Photos and videos produced by some media outlets, he added, were either fake or taken out of context.

For example, footage of prisoners being moved from one prison to another by a detention center in Xinjiang that were shown by British TV channels as alleged evidence of the authorities persecuting Uyghur ethnic people actually had nothing to do with education and training centers, Yang said.

He said it can be necessary to take precautionary and safety measures against dangerous offenders but noted there was no abuse.

Yang said education and training centers in Xinjiang are part of preventive counter-terrorism measures aimed at educating and saving those who have been influenced or brainwashed by extremist preaching and those who have taken part in terrorist activities under duress. The places are aimed at preventing people from going down the path of terrorism.

Such measures have proven effective in safeguarding the life and safety of people from all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, including Uyghurs, and the trainees' right to reunite with their families, in line with law, has been ensured.

In response to allegations of "forced labor", Yang said cotton farming in Xinjiang is highly mechanized and requires few workers. He said jobs in the industry are scarce, well-paid, and competitive.

"Why is there the need for forced labor?" asked Yang.

He also said the family planning policy remains China's basic State policy and is implemented nationwide, but minority groups, including Uyghurs, enjoy a favorable policy.

"In the year 2019 alone, there were more than 200 million visitors from both China and overseas who visited Xinjiang," he said. "If there were mass activities of torture or misbehavior happening in Xinjiang, why can't you produce more credible information … When the pandemic situation allows, Xinjiang is open and there are no restrictions to tourists."

He added that China is "actively engaging" with the UN human rights envoy.

"It's still under discussion. What we oppose is a presumption of guilt, when you have a conclusion (first) and you go to find proof supporting your conclusion; it's wrong and unfair."

When asked about accusations that employees from China's embassy had been "harassing" British Conservative Party MP Nusrat Ghani on social media in response to posts she had made about the alleged mistreatment of minority groups in Xinjiang, Yang said he did not agree with the word "harass".

"She has the right to express her opinion on Twitter, (and) our people also have the right to speak about the facts. So, I don't think that is harassment, it is to let her know that what she has said on (social) media is not accurate."

He added that facts and figures show the country's policies have benefited the majority of people in Xinjiang, including the Uyghur ethnic group. Xinjiang enjoys long-term stability and prosperity, with its GDP growth, for example, registered at 3.4 percent last year, which is higher than the nation's overall growth rate of 2.3 percent.

"People in Xinjiang enjoy a good sense of security. They can walk freely on the street," he added.

China's Xinjiang-related policies are widely recognized and supported internationally, he said.

During the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, 64 countries, including Arab countries, made a joint statement in support of China's policies in Xinjiang.

Yang also said the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau, which has been listed as a sanctioned entity by the UK, is "responsible for public security affairs, to ensure that people there enjoy security, and are not afraid of walking alone at night and being attacked or kidnapped".

He added that, before China started to take stronger anti-terrorism measures in Xinjiang in recent years, the region had suffered from "thousands of" terrorist attacks.

Some of the attacks are believed to have been financed and instigated by elements in Western countries.

China Daily