Gulibahar Abuliz, Xinjiang Radio and TV Station

Before leaving office, Pompeo made irresponsible remarks about Xinjiang and attempted to slander and smear the Chinese government’s ethnic and religious policies. His sinister intention to sow dissention among people of different ethnic groups was all too clear. As a Uyghur woman born and bred in Xinjiang and a media worker, now I want to disclose Pompeo’s shameless lies with facts and my own experiences.

The Chinese government has long attached great importance to the preservation, sustainability and development of ethnic minority cultures. The story of my family serves as strong evidence against Pompeo’s shameless lies. I was born in an intellectual family in Urumqi and my father is a linguist specializing in Uyghur. Giving substantial support to my father’s career of developing ethnic minority culture, the Communist Party and government even offered him “special government allowances of the State Council”. Working as a dance teacher at Xinjiang Arts University, when she was twelve years old, my mother went to Beijing Dance Academy from Kuche, Aksu to learn ballet. Later she became one of the earliest ballet dancers and teachers in Xinjiang. My parents’ experiences testify that ethnic minorities in Xinjiang have long enjoyed equal rights in education and the sustainability of ethnic minority cultures have been highly valued and guaranteed by the government.

My own experience serves as best evidence to refute Pomepo’s shameless lies. Xinjiang Radio and TV Station owns 12 radio frequencies in 5 languages and 12 TV channels in 4 languages, among which 2 radio frequencies and 2 TV channels in Uyghur offer various programs around the clock. With regard to the new media, Xinjiang Radio and TV Station releases short videos in various languages, including daily life information, news info and comedies. Over the years, we have numerous audiences scattered across Xinjiang and our hosts are getting increasingly famous. All these have well proved that the Chinese government has always guaranteed the rights of people of different ethnic groups to use and develop their native languages and have protected and promoted excellent traditional cultures of various ethnic groups in accordance with the law.

Mike Pompeo, who has never been to Xinjiang and known nothing about the realities of Xinjiang, turned a blind eye to all these facts and lied to the world about Xinjiang in his own political interest. Now I would like to tell Pompeo: your shameless lies would never cover up the facts that people of all ethnicity in Xinjiang are living a happy and contented life, nor would they block the steps of Xinjiang for a more prosperous future.