A performance is staged at the Grape Valley scenic area in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 26, 2023. The city of Turpan has received 2.53 million tourist visits from June 1 to 28, an increase of nearly 40 percent over the same period in 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

In recent years the anti-China forces in the US and some Western countries continue to spread baseless speculation to smear the human rights situation in Northwest China's Xinjiang region, but the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other righteous people from the Islamic world insist on objective stance to speak for China, the region's Party chief Ma Xingrui said while extending appreciation to their support when meeting with the IOC delegation in Urumqi on Sunday.

A delegation, which comprises of permanent delegates and representatives from 25 OIC member states, including Saudi Arabia, which is the current chair of the Islamic grouping, arrived in China on Thursday visiting China's Xinjiang region. 

During the meeting with the delegation in Urumqi on Sunday, the regional Party chief Ma welcomed the delegation to Xinjiang region and highly appreciated the work of the OIC representatives in consolidating and developing friendly relations between China and Islamic countries and promoting a correct and objective understanding of the Xinjiang region in the Islamic world.

Ma said that the relationship between China and the Islamic world has a long history, and the OIC has always maintained friendly exchanges, becoming a model for practicing a new type of international relations.

While anti-China forces in the US and some Western countries have continuously spread lies and falsehoods about human rights protection in the Xinjiang region to contain China, the righteous people in the Islamic world have always held an objective position and spoken up for Xinjiang, for which we are grateful, Ma said.

The essence of the problems in the Xinjiang region is to combat terrorism, eliminate extremism, and oppose separatism. The harmonious and stable society, sustained development, and the well-being of the people in the region will not be changed by distorted and defamatory intentions, Ma added, vowing to continuously consolidate and develop ethnic unity, fully guarantee freedom of religious belief and ensure that the people enjoy a wide range of rights that are real, specific, effective, and applicable under the law.

Our goal is to make people of all ethnic groups live a happier and better life, said the regional Party chief. 

The delegation, led by Djibouti's permanent representative to the OIC, Ambassador Dya-Eddine Bamakhrama, also expressed gratitude for the warm reception and thoughtful arrangements. 

The ambassador said that through visits to Kashi and the Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, the delegation has seen the prosperous development under the good governance across the region. The cooperation between China and the OIC has broad prospects, and they are willing to actively play a role in promoting the continuous development of friendly cooperation between the two sides. 

Representatives from the OIC Secretariat, Saudi Arabia, Gambia, Mauritania, and Pakistan also expressed in their speeches that China's Xinjiang region has addressed violent terrorism, allowing the people to live free from fear and instability.  

This visit has allowed them to see the openness and inclusiveness of the Xinjiang region and the smiles on the faces of people of all ethnic groups, and they have felt their genuine happiness, which has deepened their understanding of the region, according to the representatives. 

Poverty is the breeding ground for extremism, and the Xinjiang region's efforts to eliminate poverty and help people achieve development are worth learning from. Islam should promote the concept of loving peace and adhering to the middle path, according to the delegation. 

Field visits are conducive to correcting misunderstandings, and they hope to deepen cultural exchanges with China and enhance mutual understanding and cooperation, the representatives added.