Question: On September 8th, the Turkish Foreign Ministry published Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç’s response to a question regarding the so-called report related to Xinjiang, which was recently released by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Does the Embassy have any comment? 

Embassy Spokesperson: The Chinese side expresses its regret at and firm opposition to the negative comments from the Turkish side on the so-called assessment report.

The OHCHR released the so-called assessment report without the mandate from the United Nations Human Rights Council. With zero credibility, it is an entirely illegal document, and a perverse product of the US and some other Western forces’ coercive diplomacy. This so-called report is orchestrated and produced by the US and some Western forces. It is a patchwork of disinformation that serves as a political tool for the US and some Western forces to strategically use Xinjiang to contain China. The OHCHR fabricated and released the so-called assessment based on the political scheme of some anti-China forces outside China. This seriously violates the mandate of the OHCHR and the principles of universality, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicization. It once again shows that under the pressure and interference of the US and some Western forces, the OHCHR has been reduced to their enforcer and accomplice in forcing the developing countries to fall into line with them. The so-called assessment distorts China’s laws and policies, smears China’s efforts to fight terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang, and diverges significantly from the statement issued by the High Commissioner for Human Rights after her visit to China. It has seriously tarnished the professionalism and integrity of human rights work, and interfered in and undermined the international human rights cooperation. Recently, more than 60 countries that uphold justice sent a co-signed letter to the High Commissioner to express their opposition to the release of this false assessment. Nearly a thousand non-governmental organizations from across the world and people from various walks of life in Xinjiang have also written to the High Commissioner to express their opposition. 

Of all people, those in Xinjiang, whatever their ethnic backgrounds, are in the best position to tell the world what the human rights conditions are like in Xinjiang. In recent years, Xinjiang has seen sustained economic growth, social harmony and stability, better living standards, unprecedentedly thriving cultures, and freedom of religion. People of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang enjoy full rights and freedoms in accordance with the law. Any attempt to ignore China’s enormous efforts to ensure equality among different ethnic groups, turn a blind eye to the historic progress made in human rights undertakings in the region and interfere in China’s internal affairs by hyping up Xinjiang-related issues is firmly opposed by the people in Xinjiang and entire China.

We welcome people from different countries who are interested to pay visits of goodwill to Xinjiang, and to see with their own eyes the real situation there. However, we entirely reject any so-called investigation based on presumption of guilt.