Turdi Kayum，Xinjiang University

Over the past years, Pompeo, a lie maker, has told too many lies and put too much poison of hatred in Xinjiang's human rights protection, religious freedom, and employment. Even on January 19, his last day in office, he was still spreading rumors. As an intellectual born and brought up in southern Xinjiang, I have personally witnessed Xinjiang's development and progress, and have the responsibility and obligation to respond to and refute Pompeo's rumors and slander with the truth about Xinjiang.

Religious extremism is totally against Islamic doctrines. From the 1980s, benefited from the revival of Islamic fundamentalism, religious extremism began to spread and make inroads into Xinjiang, destroying the original Uygur cultural ecology and the unity of the society. In the 21st century, some young Uygurs were bewitched by religious extremism, resulting in such criminal behaviors as killing innocent people and disrupting social order. Complying with the spirit of the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, Xinjiang has put prevention first and has taken resolute action against terrorism, thus effectively guaranteeing the safety and stability of Xinjiang and protecting the lives of people of all ethnic groups in this region.

His sinister intentions are as plain as plain can be. We have seen enough about his ugly face. The people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang do not need his arbitrary interference in Xinjiang’s governance under the guise of human rights, let alone his “care” or “concern” from ulterior motives. We have already seen through him.

There is no so-called "forced labor" in Xinjiang. As the industrialization, modernization, and urbanization develop fast and faster, the agricultural population is shifting to the secondary and tertiary industries, and it is the only way for a country’s modernization that agricultural population come to work in cities. And employment transfer is also the inevitable law of social and economic development. The southern Xinjiang features adverse natural environment, low level socio-economic development and small per capita arable land in rural areas. With the modernization and mechanization of Xinjiang's agriculture, a large number of rural surplus labors have to be transferred to the secondary and tertiary industries.

People of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are entitled to integrate into the modernization, industrialization, and urbanization in the 21st century, to enjoy the development opportunities provided by modern society, to turn themselves into workers in an industrial society, to come to work in cities or towns, and to choose their own way of self-development. They are not "forced labor" labelled by Pompeo; on the contrary, they voluntarily join modern industrial society. A gradual shift of people from countryside to cities or towns is a reasonable social mobility. People’s rights to work are protected by the law.

The living conditions of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have greatly improved. Due to the frequent earthquakes in southern Xinjiang, and the weak earthquake resistance of local traditional rural house structures, the government decided to launch an earthquake-resistant and comfortable housing project to help farmers build houses that can resist earthquakes and meet the needs of modern life.

In order to protect the right of life and health, Xinjiang offers free universal health check-up to people of all ethnic groups, with the purpose of timely detection, prevention and treatment. Facing the onslaught of Covid-19, China has put the people’s interests first – nothing is more precious than people’s lives. Decisive, resolute and scientific measures have been taken to protect the lives, safety and health of people of all ethnic groups, including uygurs, to the greatest extent.

Xinjiang has made extraordinary efforts to protect people’s rights and interests, and has made great achievements, which is witnessed and remembered by people of all ethnic groups. How could such achievements be obliterated and denied by Pompeo with his evil rumors and slanders? As for Pompeo’s shameless words and behaviors, let the history make a fair judgment and punishment.