BEIJING: China lashed out at the United States on Monday after Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo called Beijing´s treatment of the country’s ethnic Uighurminority among “the worst stains on the world”.
Speaking at Kansas State University last week, Pompeo said Washington woulduse this month´s UN General Assembly to rally support for the Uighurs, amostly Muslim minority that has seen mass incarceration under the Chinesegovernment.
“The lies of American politicians can´t trick people around the world andwill only further expose the purpose of their hidden political motives,”said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
“We express our strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to these USofficials who disregard the facts… and seriously interfere in China´sinternal affairs,” she told reporters at a press briefing in Beijing.
China has come under international scrutiny over its policies in thenorthwestern region of Xinjiang, where as many as one million Uighurs andother mostly Muslim minorities are being held in re-education camps,according to the 2018 findings of an independent UN panel.
After initially denying their existence, Beijing now defends the camps,which it calls “vocational education centres”, as a necessary measure tocounter religious extremism and terrorism.
But former inmates and rights groups say individuals are subjected topolitical indoctrination and abuse.
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A Kazakh businessman, who spent nearly two months in a camp, told AFP thatpeople held there were forced to sing patriotic songs every morning and eatpork, a violation of Islam´s religious restrictions.
In July, Chinese officials announced that “most” individuals have left thecamps, without sharing figures — drawing scepticism and anger from theUighur diaspora, many of whom remain out of contact with relatives andfriends in Xinjiang.
“This may end up being one of the worst stains on the world of thiscentury. It´s of that magnitude,” Pompeo said Friday.
“This is fundamentally not about national security for them, this isn’tabout extremism in western China,” he said. “This is about freedom anddignity for individuals.” -APP/AFP
