Photo: Xinjiang Daily

Certain forces in Western countries, including the US, have intentionally spread falsehoods about China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and initiated unilateral sanctions under the pretext of human rights, which constitutes unlawfully depriving the Xinjiang people of their rights to survival and development, Xinjiang regional officials said on Friday.

Xinjiang regional Party chief Ma Xingrui made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation from the Islamic Cooperation Organization (ICO) in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region, on Friday during the delegation's visit, the Xinjiang Daily reported.

Ma expressed gratitude for the ICO's strong support for Xinjiang on the international stage, emphasizing that President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China regard the development of Xinjiang a major national priority. He highlighted the unprecedented achievements in Xinjiang's development under the guidance of the Party's governance strategies, which are fully implemented in Xinjiang and highlighted amid national goals, ensuring both stability and high-quality development.

He reaffirmed that respecting and safeguarding human rights is a fundamental pursuit of the Communist Party of China and a core principle upheld in Xinjiang. The region adheres to the path of human rights development that is unique to China, legally advancing anti-terrorism and de-extremization efforts, maximizing the protection of the basic human rights of all ethnic groups.

Ma criticized certain Western countries, including the US, for fabricating lies about Xinjiang under the pretext of human rights, and asserted that such actions constitute an unlawful deprivation of the right to survival and development of the Xinjiang people of all ethnicities. 

The representatives of the ICO, including Boubacar Gouro Diall, the Malian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, along with diplomats from Kyrgyzstan, Burkina Faso, Palestine, and Iraq, highly praised Xinjiang's development across various sectors. They expressed hope that their visit would enhance the friendship between ICO member countries and China, noting that their experiences in Xinjiang would allow them to counter false narratives spread by certain countries.

The delegates recognized the efforts and achievements of Xinjiang in combating terrorism, affirming that these experiences could be beneficial for many ICO member states. They expressed their desire to use this visit as an opportunity to further promote friendly exchanges and practical cooperation across various fields with Xinjiang.

It is hoped that the delegation would visit Xinjiang more often, share the region's true situation with more people, Ma noted, while expressing the willingness toward strengthening ties with the ICO and its member states for mutual benefit.

Global Times