Illustration: Xia Qing/Global Times

In recent years, the US has turned a blind eye to its serious issues of forced labor and racism. Sticking to a cold war mentality, zero-sum thinking and hypocritical "double standards," it challenges justice with its hegemony to advance its selfish interests under the guise of "democracy," "freedom" and "human rights." It fabricates the lies of "genocide" and "forced labor" in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, attempting to contain China and hinder its peaceful rise and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This seriously violates international law and the basic principles of international relations while interfering in China's internal affairs. The people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are outraged by this and are firmly opposed to it.

Human rights are related to the dignity and well-being of humanity. In history, through systematic institutional designs, the US brutally massacred, forcibly displaced and subjected Native Americans to assimilative education. Today, the country faces widespread human rights abuses such as gun violence, police brutality, torture in private prisons, racial conflicts and gender discrimination. The US is a source, transit and destination country for victims of forced labor and involuntary servitude and the world's greatest perpetrator of human rights disasters.

First, the US is the world's largest creator of war. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, since 2001, the US has conducted military operations in about 80 countries in the name of "war on terror," spreading to more than 40 percent of the world's countries. The series of wars unilaterally initiated by the US has caused numerous humanitarian disasters, seriously harming local people's rights to life, survival, health and development. For the US, war is a game for slaughter and profiteering, making the country a cruel war machine.

Second, the US is the world's largest aggressor threatening people's lives and the biggest contributor to the world's refugee crisis. In order to maintain hegemonic interests, the US illegally invades sovereign countries at the cost of innocent lives. In Afghanistan, the US' 20-year-long illegal invasion and occupation has caused 174,000 deaths, while 2.6 million people have been forced to flee abroad, 10 million displaced and 18.9 million still face food shortages. The US has also launched wars in many other parts of the world, causing extensive harm to the lives of innocent civilians and violating their right to choose their own development path. Yet, the US tries to hide the truths, refuse to apologize and evade its responsibility.

Third, the US is the world's biggest initiator of unilateral sanctions. Pursuing hegemonism and unilateralism, it arbitrarily suppresses countries and regions that do not comply and imposes unilateral sanctions on countries such as Russia, Cuba, North Korea, Myanmar, Iran, Libya and Iraq. As a result, Washington's unilateral sanctions have increased from 912 in 2000 to over 9,400 in 2021. During the Donald Trump administration alone, 3,900 unilateral sanctions were implemented, meaning that the country, on average, launched three new sanctions per day. Over the years, the US has engaged in widespread exploitation in many countries in the Middle East and Latin America. It intervenes in their domestic politics, subverts elected governments and promotes "color revolutions." This has triggered extensive crises in human rights, security and politics.

Lastly, the US is the biggest destroyer of democracy and human rights in the world. This war machine shamelessly profits from creating human rights disasters and deaths in other countries. The "rules-based international order" advocated by the US is essentially an order centered on the country itself to allow arbitrary military aggression, interference in the internal affairs of other countries and the overthrow of legitimate governments. It has created global chaos in the pursuit of its selfish interests.

The US proclaims itself as a "human rights defender" and "beacon of democracy." However, in reality, it abuses its dollar dominance and advantages regarding military and technology, placing its domestic laws above international laws. It uses international rules as a "fig leaf" to cover its long-arm jurisdiction. It has shown ruthless and barbaric hegemony in various spheres, including politics, military, economy, technology and culture. 

The US, with its notorious track record and blatant wrongdoings in human rights, should stop acting like a thief crying "stop thief!" Going against the global trend will only make the country an international laughingstock.

The author is an official of the Turpan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn