Interview: Thriving life in Xinjiang proves Western smear campaign wrong, Fatah official says

RAMALLAH, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- People's life in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is thriving and the West's smear campaign against China about its Xinjiang policy is unconvincing, a senior official with the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) has said.

"Among the people of the region, the level of harmony and respect is comprehensive and complete," Bassam Zakarneh, a member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council of Palestine, told Xinhua during a recent interview.

Zakarneh has paid multiple visits to China. Speaking of some Western governments' and media's smear campaign against China about its Xinjiang policy, he said that the West is "trying to exploit anything to undermine China's progress and development."

This March, a delegation of members of political parties from Arab countries headed by Zakarneh, visited Xinjiang. "China's experience in all regions is rich, and with every visit, we feel the magnitude of the benefit we gain in various fields," Zakarneh said.

During the visit, the delegation learned about Xinjiang's development in such areas as agricultural technology, livestream shopping and cross-border e-commerce.

"We find agriculture that does not require much space and land," Zakarneh said. "Many of our products are destroyed due to the inability to sell them in season, but after learning about the agricultural industrialization carried out by China, our countries can enhance communication to exchange experience in this field."

The delegation visited mosques and some other places of worship. Zakarneh said China preserves and gives each religion care for its sanctities with full and comprehensive support.

Zakarneh said the delegation expressed respect for China's treatment of freedom of religion and the extent of its respect for human rights, contrary to what the U.S.-led West has said to distort China's image and hinder its progress.

The delegation attended an exhibition on China's counter-terrorism effort as well. "China has creativity in confronting terrorism through the awakening and cohesion of its people and the strength of its security services," Zakarneh said.

The first measures, he added, are to educate citizens about preventing the infiltration of terrorist ideas and stopping anyone from exploiting this to attack China, by rehabilitating these people and educating them in school, so that they graduate with mastery of crafts, not to mention providing job opportunities and supporting various groups so that everyone in the region could become a producer, whether in agriculture, industry, or trade.

"China has faced this with strength and confidence and opened the borders of the Xinjiang region for all delegations to see for themselves the reality as it is. Our visit and observation on the ground were proof that Western propaganda is false," he added.