Abulaiti Wayiti,Teacher at College of Educational Technology, Xinjiang Normal University

Most recently, the former U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, delivered a shameless speech attacking China and slandering China’s policy on governing Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region before his stepping down from office. In his speech, he wantonly declared that the officials in Xinjiang had committed the so-called ‘genocide’ and ‘crimes against humanity’ against Uygur group and other ethnic minorities. This is just another big lie of Mr. Pompeo. Mr. Pompeo doesn’t have a say on the living conditions of Uygur people and other ethnic minorities at all. It is us who live on this land have the most say.

My name is Abulaiti Wayiti, a teacher of Uygur ethnicity at the College of Educational Science, Xinjiang Normal University. I was born and raised in Urumqi, Xinjiang, and my parents are just ordinary workers. I had my elementary education at No.56 Primary School and junior and senior high education at Xinjiang Experimental Middle School. During primary and secondary education, I studied various courses, mastered Uygur language, culture and history as well as the national language-Chinese, which laid a solid foundation for my future study and work.

I was enrolled into Northwest Normal University and became a student of educational technology in 2001. During my four years’ undergraduate study, I was awarded the scholarship specially set up by the country for minority students from Xinjiang every year. These scholarships helped reduce the financial burden of my parents. I had no clear plan whether to pursue postgraduate study or not in the first three years of college life. I probably wanted to land a job as soon as possible upon graduation. However, in the fourth year of my undergraduate study, the surprise huge enough to influence my entire life came to me: the university granted the only one exam-free opportunity to pursue postgraduate study of our major to me! I ranked the second among all the students majoring in educational technology. Later on, I learned the reason behind the university’s decision from our headteacher.They did it with the hope of training more educated professionals of ethnic minority from Xinjiang and encouraging more minority students like me to study hard and serve the country. The kind offer of the university made me, a minority student from Xinjiang, felt the profound love and warmth of our motherland.

I worked as a teacher at Xinjiang Normal University after I got my Master’s degree and sensed a lot more support from the country for ethnic minority students in Xinjiang. At present, there are 39 students ( 31 of Uygur ethnicity, 6 of Kazakh ethnicity, and 2 of Kyrgyz ethnicity)in Class 2 of 2017 majoring in educational technology. 34 students are under the free education policy for undergraduates in normal university. The tuition fees of these students are fully covered by the country during the four years’ study, and there are also various scholarships available to them if they work hard. So far, 31 students in my class have been awarded scholarships of different kinds. In the academic year of 2020-2021, 29 students have been granted with scholarships from the state level to university level.It can be said that minority students in the university are enjoying a fleet of preferential policies of the Party and the country. The free education policy for undergraduates in normal university not only reduces the economic burden of minority students’ families, alleviates the employment pressure, but also trains high-level teachers at the grassroots level in Xinjiang, providing a strong guarantee for the development of education for minority students in Xinjiang. In recent years, whenever I paid visits to students’ family in southern Xinjiang what I heard the most was the parents’ gratitude: “the policy of the Party spares me from worrying about the tuition fee, and my child is granted with some aids every year.These policies have alleviated a lot of our economic burden. As parents, all we hope for the child is to study hard and contribute his effort to the country in the future.” It can be seen that the party’s education policy has been welcomed and applauded by the people of ethnic minorities. As far as I know, similar cases are not uncommon at other colleges in our university.

Mr. Pompeo, these are the experiences I have been through in person. What I would like to say to you is that fact is something you can not distort however you try. My country has not violated the rights of Uygur people at all. The so-called ‘genocide’ and ‘crimes against humanity’ are nothing but vicious slander! China’s ethnic and education policy have created and safeguarded a broad space for us to achieve self-actualization. I have never once been the so-called oppressed Uygur in your speech. On the contrary, I am a proud university teacher of Uygur ethnicity living freely on this land! My family, colleagues and students feel the same as I do.

Mr. Pompeo, you can just shut your mouth! No one will ever believe your purposeful lies and accusations!