Behtiyar Muhtar, Vice President of Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics

Recently, Pompeo has made a series of absurd remarks on China’s Xinjiang in disregard of the facts, in an attempt to use Xinjiang-related issues to sow discord between ethnic groups, undermine Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability, and hinder China’s development and growth. As a Xinjiang native, I can never let this go and must respond to his nonsense with facts.

I was born in a scholarly family in Urumqi. My parents are both teachers. They have devoted all their lives to education. I have always been inspired by my parents’ lofty love for education, their strong recognition of the Party and the country, and their strong sense of responsibility for society and the nation. They always required me to “grow into a useful talent for the Party and the country by loving China and being loyal to the Communist Party of China”. Bathed in the sunshine of the Party, I grew up to be a leading Uygur cadre by receiving the education, training and care of the Party. I knew it clearly that I would never be where I am today without the Party’s education, training and care, let alone my personal progress. My personal experience is an epitome of the progress and development of human rights in Xinjiang.

Only the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have the best say on the human rights situation in Xinjiang. China implements the system of regional ethnic autonomy, upholds equality and unity among all ethnic groups, respects and protects freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law, protects normal religious activities, and safeguards legitimate rights and interests of religious groups, venues for religious activities and religious believers. The people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang enjoy equal legal status and the rights granted by the Constitution and laws, including elect and be elected, participate in the administration of state affairs, have freedom of religious belief, receive education, use their own spoken and written languages, and inherit their own traditional culture etc. Under the leadership of the CPC, tremendous changes have taken place in Xinjiang, and unprecedented achievements have been made in economy, society and people’s livelihood. Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic prosperity and its people are living and working in peace and contentment. The people of all ethnic groups have a growing sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.

A thousand lies cannot cover the fact that Xinjiang’s society has maintained steady progress. For more than four years in a row, there have been no violent and terrorist incidents, and the number of criminal cases, public order cases, security endangering cases, and public security incidents has dropped significantly. This has fulfilled the people’s yearn for peace and stability for many years. The economy developed steadily and healthily. From 2014 to 2019, Xinjiang’s GDP increased from 919.59 billion yuan to 1359.71 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 7.2%. Revenue in general public budget increased from 128.23 billion yuan to 157.76 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 5.7%. Infrastructure is constantly improving, and all cities and prefectures are entering the era of highways. People’s living standards improved markedly. From 2014 to 2019, the per capita disposable income of Xinjiang residents increased by an average of 9.1% per year. More than 1.69 million housing projects for low-income families and more than 1.56 million sets of affordable housing projects were completed. We are happy to see that more than 10 million people moved into new houses. Basic public services in both urban and rural areas had been improved, the social security system had been perfected, and free physical examinations had been implemented for all. Decisive progress had been made in poverty alleviation. 3.0649 million people below the current poverty line were lifted out of poverty, 3666 poor villages and 32 poor counties were all removed from the poverty list. This was no doubt a decisive victory in Xinjiang’s fight against poverty.

Pompeo’s plots and actions for division and destruction will be in vain. Just as an old Chinese saying goes, “A wicked man is just like a mouse, for wherever he goes the vituperation follows”. His ugly face and despicable acts will eventually be spurned by history and the people.