The dispute over China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims and other minorities has escalated once again. The US, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada decided to launch coordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses in the western Xinjiang region. China’s response was immediate. Beijing was infuriated with such interference in the country’s affairs and hit back with sanctions as well. Notably, China has more than once denied all accusations. Allegedly, these camps offer vocational training. Besides, they have been created to fight extremism.
"A united transatlantic response sends a strong signal to those who violate or abuse international human rights, and we "take further actions in coordination with like minded partners. We will continue to stand with our allies around the world in calling for an immediate end to the PRC’s crimes and for justice for the many victims," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared. Officials from other countries voiced the same opinion. Reportedly, for several decades, the official authorities have been harassing representatives of Uighur Muslims and other Turkic minorities. For instance, it is forbidden to wear a beard for men and burkas for women, to give children Muslim names, and to have any religious literature at home. Some people have mentioned tortures and forced labor in the Xinjiang internment camps, which the authorities call re-education centers.
Nevertheless, China condemns these sanctions. "The fact that Xinjiang residents of various ethnic groups enjoy stability, security, development and progress, makes it one of the most successful human rights stories. However, some politicians in the US, the UK, Canada and the EU clearly don't want to acknowledge this fact. They have even taken out of context and distorted Chinese official documents and data. All this proves that it's never human rights and truth that they care about. They just do not want to see China's success, development and better livelihood. That's why they have been using human rights issues as a pretext for interfering in China's internal affairs and frustrate China's development," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
Apparently, China is fed up with accusations and other forms of attempts to undermine its status in the world arena. They must stop political manipulation on Xinjiang-related issues, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs in any form and refrain from going farther down the wrong path. Otherwise, they will get their fingers burnt," the Chinese foreign ministry pointed out.
