The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Responded To The US Ban On The Import Of Cotton Products From Xinjiang

 

A reporter asked that the United States banned the import of Xinjiang cotton and cotton products on Wednesday on the grounds of forcing Uighur Muslims to work. What is China's comment on this and will it fight back?

 

Hua Chunying said that the Chinese side has already made a solemn stand on relevant issues. Some US politicians concocted the so-called "forced labor" false news in order to restrict and suppress China's relevant parties and enterprises and curb China's development. The US practices violate the international trade rules and market economy principles, destroy the global industrial chain and supply chain, and damage the interests of enterprises and consumers in various countries, including the United States.

 

It is pointed out that the two concepts of "forced employment" and "forced employment" are to help the masses. The Convention on forced labor of the international labor organization defines "forced labor" as "all labor or services which are not voluntarily performed by any person under the threat of any punishment". Workers of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang choose their occupations according to their own will and sign labor contracts with enterprises in accordance with the principle of equality and voluntariness, and will not be discriminated against due to different nationalities, genders and religious beliefs. Governments at all levels in Xinjiang fully respect the willingness of ethnic minority people to find jobs, and provide training for voluntary workers to improve their employment skills.

 

She said that the survey report on the employment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang showed that the average willingness of villagers in the four villages surveyed to go out to work voluntarily was as high as 86.5%, indicating that the willingness of ethnic minorities to go out to work voluntarily was very strong. By the end of last year, 2.9232 million people had been lifted out of poverty in Xinjiang, and the incidence of poverty dropped from 19.4% in 2014 to 1.24%. The smiling face of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang is the most powerful response to the rumors about Xinjiang related lies.

 

"On the one hand, some American politicians claim to care for and protect the rights of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, but on the other hand, they restrict and suppress enterprises in Xinjiang by means of pressure and sanctions, thus disturbing the stability, development and prosperity of Xinjiang. Is this not to deprive the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang of their right to pursue a good life through legal labor? Is it not to create "forced unemployment" and "forced poverty" in Xinjiang Hua Chunying said.

 

She said that some American politicians showed extraordinary "concern" about Xinjiang affairs in China, but ignored such phenomena as unequal rights of ethnic minorities, high poverty rate, systematic racial discrimination and violent law enforcement in judicial and law enforcement departments.

 

"In terms of protecting the rights of ethnic minorities, why doesn't the US side say" the United States has priority "? We urge individual US politicians to respect the basic facts and stop interfering in China's internal affairs through the Xinjiang issue. China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of relevant Chinese parties and enterprises. " Hua Chunying said.