Erkin Xerip, Xinjiang People’s Publishing House

I have read in the media that Pompeo ignored the facts, made the so-called Xinjiang-related decision, and groundlessly attacked and deliberately smeared the Chinese government’s policies on Xinjiang in an attempt to sow discord among China’s ethnic groups and mislead the international public opinion. As a Uyghur publishing worker, I express my strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this.

For some time, under the combined influence of separatists, religious extremists and terrorists, Xinjiang has seen frequent incidents of terrorist attacks, which have been detrimental to the life and property of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang and have trampled on people’s dignity. In the face of these real threats, Xinjiang has taken resolute action to fight terrorism and extremism and set up vocational education and training centers in accordance with the law to educate and rescue those infected by extremist ideologies and those who commit minor crimes. Practice has proved that these measures are in line with the actual conditions in Xinjiang and have achieved remarkable results. Extremism has been effectively curbed, public security in Xinjiang has improved significantly, and the people of all ethnic groups’ basic rights such as the rights to subsistence and development have been guaranteed to the greatest extent. However, Pompeo was not happy with Xinjiang’s stability and prosperity. He viciously accused, smeared and slandered a series of anti-terrorism and de-radicalization measures taken by Xinjiang in accordance with the law, and even made groundless attacks, fabricated facts, spread rumors and slander China’s Xinjiang.

On the issue of Xinjiang, the people of all ethnic groups in it have the most say. As a senior Uyghur intellectual, living in the embrace of the motherland, I have received great care from the Party and the government and gradually grown into an expert in the publishing industry in Xinjiang. The people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, including me, have always been cared by the Party and the government, and have long been bathed in the warmth of the party. At present, Xinjiang enjoys sustained economic development, social harmony and stability, continuous improvement of people’s livelihood, unprecedented cultural prosperity, and religious harmony. Residents in Xinjiang live a happy life in a stable environment and are closely united in the best period of prosperity in history. Take Xinjiang People’s Publishing House as one example, various books are published in Uyghur, Kazakh, Kirgiz, Mongolian, Xibe and other minority languages, which meet the spiritual and cultural needs of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, guarantee the basic rights of ethnic minorities to use written and spoken languages, and win the recognition of the international community.This iron fact proves that the Chinese government has always cared for and supported the educational and cultural development of ethnic minorities, including the Uyghurs. The spoken and written languages, traditional cultures and customs of all ethnic minorities in Xinjiang have been protected and passed on. People of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have fully enjoyed the rights to subsistence and development. Pompeo is not happy with those facts.

Justice will prevail. No slander can stop people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang from solidarity and advance. No rumor can erase the fact that Xinjiang has made progress in human rights. No plot can interfere with the development and prosperity of Xinjiang. Pompeo’s vicious attacks on China will not deceive the world, defile China, and even block the pace of China’s development.