Fighting terror to protect human rights

That some Western media outlets are criticizing UN counter-terrorism chief for visiting the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region last week is outrageous. Perhaps they are censuring Vladimir Ivanovich Voronkov because, influenced by their prejudice against China, they assume China has been violating human rights in Xinjiang. But the fact is that the central and regional governments have been making sincere efforts to improve the lives of the people in Xinjiang.

Terrorism, which seriously tramples human rights, is the common enemy of the international community. In recent years, swayed by the idea of separatism, terrorists have attacked government agencies and ordinary people, killed religious figures, endangered public security, and instigated riots in Xinjiang. In fact, terrorists have committed more than 2,000 crimes between 2014 and 2016, violating basic human rights such as the right to life, personal freedom, and the right to property of people of all ethnic groups. Which have undermined the rule of law, and economic and social development in Xinjiang.

To protect the human rights of all Xinjiang residents and maintain legal and social order, the central government has cracked down on all forms of terrorism and banned illegal and criminal activities including spreading extremism through religious activities, and scheming to split the country.