Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

China expresses strong indignation over and opposition to the European Parliament resolution, and will lodge serious protest with the EU, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday, after the European Parliament adopted a resolution that condemns the Chinese government's "human rights violations" in Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong, Macao and the Chinese mainland.

The European Parliament resolution lacks factual basis and calls white black. It attacks the human rights situation in Xinjiang, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty, and seriously violates international law and the basic norms governing international relations, Mao said.

It's the Chinese people, not the European Parliament, who have the best say on the human rights situation in China. Xinjiang today enjoys social stability and economic growth and the people there live a happy life. It is enjoying development progress like never before, and China's Xinjiang policy is widely supported by the people. These are facts that no one can deny, Mao noted.

While showing concerns for the unfounded accusation of "forced labor" in Xinjiang, the European Parliament turns a blind eye to serious human rights issues in Europe and humanitarian disasters in Gaza. This again reveals to the world the double standards it applies, the spokesperson said.

"We strongly urge the European Parliament to immediately stop making up lies to smear China, stop interfering in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty in the name of human rights, and stop applying double standards on human rights issues," Mao said.

The European Parliament is in no position and has no right to lecture others on human rights. Instead, it needs to reflect on itself, abandon arrogance and prejudice, see squarely China's achievements on human rights and respect China's sovereignty and the human rights development path independently chosen by the Chinese people, Mao noted.

In response to the European Parliament's resolution, the spokesperson for China's Mission to the EU said in a statement on Friday that the relevant resolution adopted by the European Parliament makes false accusations and confounds black and white. By maliciously attacking the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang and relevant judicial cases, it constitutes a gross interference in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty, seriously violating international law and basic norms of international relations. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this act.

Xinjiang, with its social stability, economic development and people living and working in peace and contentment, is currently in the best period of development in its history. The European Parliament has neither the right nor the qualification to criticize the human rights situation in Xinjiang, the spokesperson noted.

The European Union boasts that it respects the rule of law, but the European Parliament has repeatedly meddled in other countries' judicial cases, blatantly violating the spirit of the rule of law and fully exposing its hypocrisy and double standards. The facts cannot be distorted and the truth cannot be denied. Any attempt to attack and slander China's policy on Xinjiang, smear China's image or hinder China's development is bound to fail, the spokesperson said.

Global Times