Claiming 'genocide' in Xinjiang pure political manipulation: Wang Yi

Farmers pick megranates in Pishan County of Hotan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 8, 2020.(Photo: Xinhua)

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday refuted reports on Xinjiang that claimed China's policies in the region constitute "genocide" and welcomed more people to come to the region, as "seeing is believing."

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions, Wang noted that when talking about genocide, most people would recall the atrocities against Indians in North America in the 16th century, against African slaves in the 19th century, against Jews in the 20th century and today's aborigines in Australia.

It is ridiculous and an ultimate lie to claim genocide is taking place in Xinjiang, Wang said, noting that the number of Uygur population has doubled over the past four decades. Over the past 60 years, the regional economic volume increased 200 times and average life expectancy reached 72 from 30.

Many people who visited Xinjiang said that the Xinjiang they saw was completely different from the one depicted in Western media, Wang said.

French writer Maxime Vivas wrote a book based on his two visits to Xinjiang in 2016 and 2018, titled Ouïghours, pour en finir avec les fake news (The End of Uyghur Fake News). The book showed a prosperous and stable Xinjiang and said people who have never been to the region are fabricating fake "news" and spreading rumors.

Some Western politicians would rather listen to lies fabricated by a few and ignore the voices of 25 million local residents of different ethnicities, and would rather cooperate with the farce directed by some anti-China forces and ignore Xinjiang's development and progress, Wang said.

Their deeds only demonstrate that these politicians do not care about facts, but are fanatical about political manipulation, aiming to fabricate the "Xinjiang issue" to disturb safety and stability in the region and hinder China's development, Wang said.

"We welcome more people to visit Xinjiang. Seeing is believing and lies will collapse on themselves," Wang stressed.