Stability and Development Are the Strongest Evidences of Human Rights

OVER the past months hostile elements in certain Western countries have trumped-up charges against China concerning human rights in Xinjiang, spreading lies about “forced labor,” “genocide,” and “religious oppression” in the region.

- HOU XUXIANG & WU SIKE

The voice of justice, however, prevails, as most countries in the world have joined China in refuting such lies on various occasions, including sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council.. .

Facts speak louder than words. Over the past decades, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government have made respecting, promoting, and protecting human rights the purpose of state governance and worked hard toward that end. With the belief that the rights to subsistence and development are primary human rights, China has pioneered a path of human rights protection with its own characteristics. Since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, especially since the commencement of reform and opening-up in 1978, remarkable progress has been made in human rights protection in Xinjiang, a fact that is well recognized globally.

A New Path Based on National Conditions

Xinjiang has been a multi-ethnic region since ancient times — home to more than 40 ethnic groups, including Uygur, Han, and Kazak, who practice Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and Taoism among other religions. It is the largest and most ethnically diversified autonomous region in China, with Uygurs making up the largest ethnic group. Under the unified leadership of the central government, Xinjiang exercises the right of autonomy in handling local affairs in accordance with the Constitution and the law, a practice that ensures national unity and ethnic solidarity, while allowing people of all ethnic groups to run the country together. The Constitution stipulates that all ethnic groups in China are equal. This means that they enjoy equal rights and have the same obligations regardless of their size, stage of development or faith.