The night market in Urumqi. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The top Chinese counter-terrorism official stressed the country's achievements in the past five years in the crackdown on terrorism in the Xinjiang region and slammed the US "Uyghur human rights act" for its fabricated stories laded with twisted facts. 

The US House of Representatives passed the act Wednesday morning, Beijing time. 

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Liu Yuejin, the counter-terrorism commissioner of China's Ministry of Public Security, expressed strong opposition to the act and slammed it for wantonly smearing Chinese policies and counter-terrorism measures as well as misrepresenting the human rights situation in Xinjiang. 

The move fully reveals the US' double standards on counter-terrorism and its intention to interfere in China's domestic affairs in the name of "human rights," Liu said, expressing strong resentment and opposition to the act.   

Besides, Liu also stressed the significant achievements China has made in countering the menace of terrorism in Xinjiang. No violent or terrorist activity took place in the past three years in the region and residents' sense of security also hugely improved, according to Liu. 

He recalled the dire  situation in the 1990s when the Xinjiang region was reeling under the threat of terrorism with frequent attacks , seriously damaging people's livelihood and safety, and trampling their dignity. 

Once upon a time, the "East Turkistan" forces organized and triggered thousands of secession and violent activities in the Xinjiang region, killing a large number of innocent people and hundreds of police officers, incurring countless property loss, Liu said. 

To battle this havoc, China launched a five-year counter-terrorism campaign, which has effectively curbed the tendency, safeguarded local stability and restored the safety of the locals. The measures managed to garner popular support of the 25 million Xinjiang residents, including the international community, according to Liu. 

The US act criticizes the Chinese government with accusations like "infringing upon human rights of ethnic minority people." 

In response to the accusation, Liu stressed that China always conforms to the law in counter-terrorism operations and protects people's human rights to the uttermost extent. "There is no so-called problem of 'infringing upon human rights' as the US claims."

China enhanced international cooperation to fight illegal terrorist activities by "East Turkistan" forces in recent years, according to Liu. 

The country has joined 12 global counter-terrorism conventions and played an active role in international multilateral mechanisms, including international criminal police organization, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, Liu added.

Global Times