Pointing fingers at matters concerning Xinjiang, the U.S. Department of Commerce is doing nothing but twisting the truth under the banner of human rights.

Its practice of adding some Chinese entities to its sanctions list and the imposition of export restrictions further exposed Washington’s evil intentions to encumber Xinjiang’s counter-terrorism efforts and obstruct China’s stable development.

It is common sense that terrorism and extremism are enemies of the human society, and counter-terrorism and de-extremism remain a responsibility shared by the international society, and also necessary guarantee for human rights.

In recent years, Xinjiang has established vocational education and training centers in accordance with the law to prevent the breeding and spread of terrorism and religious extremism, effectively curbing the frequent terrorist incidents and protecting the rights to life and development of the people of all ethnic groups. Worthwhile results have been achieved.

No terrorist incidents have occurred in Xinjiang for nearly three years since the education and training started.

However, such worthwhile results are invisible for the US Department of Commerce. It is a smear on China’s governing policies in Xinjiang, deliberate sabotage of the counter-terrorism achievements made by the Chinese people, as well as a rude interference in China’s internal affairs and severe damage to the interests of China.

The rights to life and development are fundamental human rights, as well as the premise and foundation to safeguard individual and collective rights. These two rights are difficult to be protected without a secure and stable social environment, let alone other rights.

For some time, Xinjiang has been plagued by terrorism and religious extremism, which has led to the loss of lives and properties of the local people, and tremendously impeded the economic and social progress of Xinjiang.

It is a fundamental task of any responsible government, acting on basic principles, to remove the malignant tumor of terrorism and extremism that threatens people’s lives and security, to safeguard people’s dignity and value, to protect their rights to life, health and development, and to ensure they enjoy a peaceful and harmonious social environment. That is what Xinjiang is practicing.

Rumors are seen through by the wise, and lies cannot defeat facts. Compared with the US politicians distorting the facts, those foreigners who have visited Xinjiang have stronger voices.

Since the end of the last year, dozens of batches of foreign ambassadors in China, UN officials, social organizations, religious groups and journalists have been invited to pay visits to the vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang. The field trips helped them see the facts and understand the urgency, necessity, validity and rationality of the training and education in the autonomous region.

Xinjiang affairs are China’s internal affairs, and are related with the country’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. The Chinese government and people have always taken a clear stance on the matters related to Xinjiang, and will never allow any interference from any other country or external force.

China strongly urges the US to move related Chinese entities out of the sanction list, and stop staging farces like the one made by the US Department of Commerce.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)