Relocated residents live happily in their house in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Schools, kindergartens, health centers and markets have been established on this area, part of Gobi Desert, since 2016. The per capita net income of qualified registered poor households in this town has increased from 4,220 yuan in 2016 to 11,745 yuan in 2020. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xin)

Residents from different fields, including religious figures from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, spoke out on what is really happening in the region, refuting Western media hype and opposing former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo's "determination" that China is committing "genocide" in the Xinjiang region.

Pompeo on January 19 - his last day as US secretary of state - tweeted that he has "determined" China is "committing genocide and crimes against humanity" in Xinjiang against Uygurs and other ethnic groups, and he wrote that China and the Communist Party of China "must be held to account." 

Since last week, many residents from Xinjiang began to post videos of themselves telling stories of their own lives to refute Pompeo's "genocide" claim with the hashtag "This is Xinjiang" on Sina Weibo. As of press time on Monday, the topic had been viewed more than 46.8 million times with more than 53,000 netizens joining the discussions. 

Tusenjan Wusman, a doctor from Hotan Prefecture in southern Xinjiang, said in the video that "I really want to ask Pompeo 'Have you been to Xinjiang? Do you really know what life is like here?' We live a happy life in the region, and why do you always defame the region?"

Jilil Tursun Tuohut, an imam from a mosque in Ayake village in Luopu county, also appeared in a video uploaded online, in which he said in the Uygur language that he is very angry about Pompeo's accusations against China's Xinjiang. 

"My family's life as well as people's living standards in the region have improved greatly in recent years," Jilil said in the video, and he showed viewers around his house. "We don't need your care and please mind your own business!"

More videos featuring residents from more fields have been uploaded, including one from Abdula Abdujli, a scholar who has been studying ethnic languages for more than 20 years, who said in a video that there have been no restrictions in Xinjiang on the use of ethnic languages. 

Alinur, a grass-roots civil servant from Yining, said in a video that "Pompeo is a liar. What he said is opposite to what I see with my own eyes every day… as a Uygur living in Xinjiang, I have more rights to say whether it is good than a US politician." 

Aside from Xinjiang residents' voices, in recent days authorities in China and the Xinjiang region have expressed strong opposition to Pompeo's accusation that China is committing "genocide" of the Uygurs and other ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang. The Standing Committee of Xinjiang Regional People's Congress released a statement on Sunday, saying that Pompeo's slander severely violated international laws and hurt the feelings of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

The regional legislature listed Xinjiang's achievements in poverty alleviation, anti-terrorism, employment and improving local residents' living standards in recent years, and it said that the international community, as well as foreign experts, diplomats and media who have been invited to Xinjiang have applauded Xinjiang's improvements in protecting human rights. 

"Facts speak louder than lies… Pompeo's 'determination' is nothing but another stain on his notorious 'diplomatic legacy'," read the statement. 

Chinese analysts said that with more voices from Xinjiang set to speak the truth, and lies by some Western media and the US being debunked, fewer people in the international community would be fooled. Accusing China of genocide based on lies is doomed to be exposed. 

They also warned that certain countries should be cautious when thinking of following Pompeo's "toxic diplomatic legacy" as it would jeopardize bilateral ties. 

Canadian Conservatives are calling on the federal government to declare that China is committing "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" in its Xinjiang region, Canadian media The Globe and Mail reported on Sunday. 

Global Times