Accra, Sept. 2, GNA – China firmly opposes the release of the so-called “assessment of the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China” by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, in a statement, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency, said: “This so-called “assessment” runs counter to the mandate of the OHCHR, and ignores the human rights achievements made together by people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang and the devastating damage caused by terrorism and extremism to the human rights of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang”.
It said that based on the disinformation and lies fabricated by anti-China forces and out of the presumption of guilt, the so-called “assessment” distorted China’s laws and policies, wantonly smeared and slandered China, and interfered in China’s internal affairs, which violates principles, including dialogue and cooperation, and non-politicization in the field of human rights, and also undermines the credibility of the OHCHR.
It noted the Chinese government, pursuing a people-centred approach, upholds that living a happy life was the primary human right and had embarked on a human rights development path, which conforms to the trend of the times and suits the OHCHR.
It said China implemented an ethnic policy featuring equality, unity, regional ethnic autonomy, and common prosperity for all ethnic groups.
It noted that all ethnic groups, including the Uygur, were equal members of the Chinese nation.
“Xinjiang has taken actions to fight terrorism and extremism in accordance with the law, effectively curbing the frequent occurrences of terrorist activities,” it said.
“At present, Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic development, cultural prosperity and religious harmony. People of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are living a happy life in peace and contentment.”
The statement said it was the greatest human rights protection and the best human rights practice.
It said China is committed to promoting the international human rights cause and had cooperated with the OHCHR with utmost sincerity.
It noted that in particular, China overcame difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and received the visit of the Madam High Commissioner to China including Xinjiang.
It said during her visit, Madam High Commissioner had thorough exchanges with people from all walks of life in Xinjiang and visited all places she wanted to visit.
It said after fully understanding the situation in Xinjiang and other places first-hand, Madam High Commissioner met with journalists in Guangzhou at the end of her visit and issued a formal statement of the visit.
“Regrettably, the content and conclusion of this so-called “assessment” are entirely contradictory to the formal statement issued by Madam High Commissioner,” the statement said.
It said human rights exchanges and cooperation must be conducted based on equality and mutual respect and must respect objective facts and the human rights development path independently chosen by each State in light of its own reality and people’s needs.
It reiterated that double standards must be avoided, politicization of human rights issues must be abandoned, and still less should human rights be used as a tool to interfere in the internal affairs of Member States.
The statement said with regard to the human rights situation in Xinjiang, no one had a better say than the Chinese people, including the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
It said China urged the OHCHR to respect the will of the Chinese people and viewed the counter-terrorism efforts and human rights situation in Xinjiang fairly and objectively.
It said out purposes of refuting lies and clarifying truths, China provides the OHCHR with a report entitled “Fight against Terrorism and Extremism in Xinjiang: Truth and Fact”.
It said this could by no means be interpreted as a shift in China’s position of opposing the so-called “assessment.” The statement said should the OHCHR release the “assessment of the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” it was requested that the OHCHR release together and in the full text this Note Verbale and the report attached to it.
Source: Ghana News Agency