In fact, the courses set up in the vocational education and training centers were to let the trainees master the practical operating skills. The finished goods they made were not merchandise. The personal experiences of many trainees graduated from the centers can prove it.

　　Xu Guixiang: In his report, Adrian Zens claimed that “large-scale forced labor existed in Xinjiang”. I’d like to discuss this question with you.

　　In the so-called Beyond the Camps: Beijing’s Long-Term Scheme of Coercive Labor, Poverty Alleviation and Social Control in Xinjiang, he stated that “Chinese government is transferring a large number of ethnic workers from Xinjiang to enterprises in eastern China” and that “the purpose was to transform their ethnic identity and their worldview”. These utterances were nothing but his erroneous assumptions and baseless lies.

　　The truth is that workers of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang choose their profession according to their own will, conclude labor contract at an equal footing with enterprises and working units self-willingly and get payment accordingly. They enjoy absolute freedom in choosing working sites as well. For instance, governments at all levels have been actively building information platform, providing information of job vacancies for laborers to choose. Workers of all ethnic groups get access to employment information, such as climate differences in the working places, accommodation, salary, etc. They will sign up for the job vacancy according to their own wish after they have a basic understanding of the working condition. The location of the working site, the enterprise and post are all chosen by workers themselves. Xinjiang government strictly abides by the relevant laws and regulations of the country through promoting the rule of law, enhancing both employers and employees’ awareness of law and carrying out regular inspections on law abiding. The set-up, operation, inspection, investigation and management of the labor relations are all included in the building of a law-based society.

　　In recent years, the proactive employment policies adopted by Xinjiang government have improved people’s income by a great deal, especially people in poverty-stricken areas in southern Xinjiang. According to incomplete statistics, laborers from Xinjiang working in other provinces can earn up to 40,000 yuan per year, equivalent to the disposable income of those permanent residents at local. Laborers working at other places within Xinjiang can make approximately 30,000 yuan per year, far beyond what they can make from doing farm work back at home. The changes took place in many aspects, from having enough to eat to having a balanced diet, from having enough clothes to keep warm to choosing what fits me most. Lots of merchandise are affordable now. People’s living standards are substantially improved.

　　Xu Guixiang: Adrian Zens claimed in his report that “ethnic minorities were forced by the government to pick cottons in Xinjiang”. I want to talk about it.

　　In his so-called the forced labor in cotton production in Xinjiang:labor transfer and incite the “lazy”minorities to pick cotton, Adrian Zen said that “tens of thousands of ethnic minorities were forced to manually pick cotton through the countries mandatory labor transfer and poverty alleviation plan”, “70% of cotton products from Xinjiang were still picked by manual laborers”and “the cotton production will still heavily rely on laborers”, “the labor transfer process was comprised of compulsory mobilization through local working team, the cotton-picking workers transferred under supervision and working with government officials and police’s monitor(at least under certain circumstances)”.These statements were nothing but sheer attack and slander.

　　As a matter of fact, cotton production in Xinjiang has already highly mechanized. Large quantities of cotton-picking workers are not necessary even in the the busy season of picking. Statistics released by the agricultural department in Xinjiang in 2020 showed that 69.83% of cotton was picked by machines and that 95% cotton in northern Xinjiang was picked by machines. The so-called Adrian Zen’s statement that 70% of cotton in Xinjiang was picked by manual labor is seriously inconsistent with the facts.

　　There is no such a thing as forced labor and no need to force people to work. In previous years, lots of migrants workers from Henan, Sichuan province came to Xinjiang by train to pick cottons in harvest season. The picking was indeed laborious.Since the accommodation was covered by the cotton planters, their income were satisfying. Thus some of the minority workers also joined in the cotton-picking willingly.The cotton-picking workers signed contract with planters willingly and get paid accordingly.To our knowledge, cotton-picking workers can make at least 10,000 yuan within the 50 days of cotton-picking season.It’s a satisfactory income within such a short period of time.Why would they refuse to do the work? The reason for the declining number of Han Chinese take up the cotton-picking job was that cotton-picking workers from other provinces can make much more in their hometown compared to in the past. The decline in the number of Han Chinese picking cotton has nothing to do with Adrian Zen’s claim that “the government forced ethnic minorities to work”.

　　Today we have invited Mijit Timit, a cotton farmer from Aksu Prefecture, to talk about his experience.

　　Mijit Timit: My name is Mijit Timit. I have farm land with an area of 300 mu. I mainly grow cotton with an annual income of 150,000 yuan.

　　Several years ago, when the cotton picking season came, our family was usually short of manpower. We would spend money to ask local cotton pickers and cotton pickers from the inland provinces to help us pick cotton. At present, we are mechanical picking. The cost of machine picking cotton is lower and the efficiency is higher. Now the cotton in my family is picked up in less than one day, and there is no need for so many people to pick it by hand.

　　Recently I heard some media reports abroad saying that Xinjiang forces farmers to plant and pick cotton. It is sheer nonsense! We grow cotton on our own farmland, collect our own cotton, and earn our own money. How can it be called forced labor? We invited cotton pickers to pick cotton. Each of them could earn more than 10,000 yuan in more than two months. People all rush to pick cotton and there is no need to force them. Those who are slandering have no intention of protecting our rights, but the intention of leaving our farmers cotton rot in the field. They want to destroy us farmers’ income sources, so that we lose our job and food, and return to the previous days of poverty. We firmly refuse it!

　　Xu Guixiang: In his report Adrian Zens said that “Muslims’ religious belief was suppressed by Chinese government” and that “de-radicalization in its essence was to promote secular humanism and eradicate religious customs”. let’s see how is Mr. Elijan Anayat going to say.

　　Elijan Anayat: In his so-called report Breaking the Roots:the Evidence of the Scheme of Parent-Child Separation in Xinjiang, Adrian Zen said that “over 1.5 million Muslims were involved in different kinds of political re-education, detention and training camp”,“the CPC composed a complicated detention and release standards because of its fixed fear of religious belief and ethnic difference” and that “25.3% of Xinjiang natives were detained because they have religious beliefs”. These are sheer fabrication and slander.In fact, the campaigns on counter-terrorism and de-radicalization in Xinjiang strictly abide by the Law on Counter- terrorism of the People’s Republic of China.According to the Law, the campaigns should not target any particular region, ethnic group or religion and should respect citizen’s freedom of religious belief and minorities’ customs. Any behavior that may violate the basic rights and interests of all ethnic group in carrying out counter-terrorism and de-radicalization should be prevented.

　　In his so-called report “Karakax list”: analysis on detention movement in Xinjiang, China, Adrian Zen wrote that “ In May, 2023, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region issued the NO.11 document of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee” and that the document played a vital role in providing the ideological guidance and administrative basis for the constantly progressing re-education campaign. It advocated an intrusive and stringent method for remaking social culture.The method based on ‘a rigid educational guidance towards customs and religious beliefs with the aim of promoting secular humanism and eradicate religious customs”. Based on the gathered information, the so-called “ NO. 11 document issued by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region’s Party Committee set requirements for the governance of illegal religious activities and the containment of infiltration of religious extremism thought. In carrying out works, the local government set a clear line between religion and minorities’religious customs, between normal religious activities and religious extremism. The freedom to have religious belief and customs of all ethnic groups are fully guaranteed in Xinjiang. For example, on Nov 3, 2020, the report on the reality of religious belief in Xinjiang released by the Islamic Association of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region pointed out that governments at all levels in Xinjiang fully respected traditional religious customs, such as naming, holding ceremonies and Nazer. Religious activities like fasting, service, citing the Koran and pray are all conducted by their own wish. No one nor any force ever intervened.

　　We have invited the president of the Islamic Association of Shache County in Kashgar Prefecture and the hajib of Aletun Mosque in Shache Town, Abduwali Ablimit to talk about the freedom of religious belief in Xinjiang.

　　Xu Guixiang: Adrian Zenz said in his report that "the implementation of national common language in Xinjiang is to eliminate minority languages, brainwash minority people, and "forcing minority people to change their traditional cultural concepts and a kind of cultural extinction. " I’d like to invite Mahmut Abuduwali to answer this question.

　　Mahmut Abuduwali: Adrian Zen disdained the Chinese government in many reports in promoting the national common language and text education in Xinjiang as "cutting off the cultural roots". His statement is a 100% lie. In recent years, according to the education law of the people's Republic of China, the teaching of national common language and characters has been carried out in the whole region, and remarkable results have been achieved. The quality monitoring of compulsory education in autonomous region shows that the teaching quality of the whole region has been significantly improved, especially in the first and second grade of primary school, which has laid a solid foundation for the growth and progress of all ethnic groups and adolescents. At the same time, based on the requirements of the national curriculum, Xinjiang has opened courses in primary and secondary schools, including Uygur, Kazakh, Kirgiz, Mongolian and Xibo languages, which fully guarantees the rights of minority students to learn their own language and words, and effectively promotes the inheritance and development of minority language and culture.

　　The language and words of various ethnic minorities in Xinjiang are widely used in education, justice, administration, social and public affairs. For example, multilingual and multilingual text services can be easily found in the social and public area such as post service and telecommunications, medicine and health, commercial stores, traffic signs and so on. When performing official duties, government at all levels may use the the national common language and the language of ethnic groups who enjoy autonomy at all levels at the same time. For example, there are four layout in Han, Uygur, Kazak, Mongolia; there are 12 radio programs in five languages in Xinjiang People's Radio Station:Han, Uygur, Kazak, Mongolia and Kirgiz; there are 12 TV programs in four languages in Xinjiang TV station:Han, Uygur, Kazak and Kirgiz. All these provide great convenience for the people of all ethnic groups in daily life.

　　In his so-called report "Outside detention camps: long-term forced, poverty alleviation and social control plan in Xinjiang, China", Adrian Zen denounced the policies and measures implemented by the Chinese government to promote the employment of ethnic minorities in poverty-stricken areas of Southern Xinjiang, and regards them "cultural extinction" aimed at ethnic minorities, and accused these measures of "eliminating the traditions, religion and family life of ethnic minorities" . This a a complete slander. As a matter of fact, the Chinese government attaches great importance to the protection and development of the excellent traditional culture of all ethnic groups, and guarantees that all ethnic groups fully enjoy the freedom to maintain or reform their own customs and habits according to law. In recent years, Xinjiang has been actively collecting, protecting and rescuing ancient books of various ethnic groups. For example, it has translated and published the endangered Kutadgu Bilig (Wisdom of Fortune and Joy), sorted out and published Mongolian epic Janger and other folk literature works, and established three national productive protection and demonstration bases for intangible cultural heritage projects, including Uygur musical instruments, carpets and Etles silk. Uygur Muqam Arts and Kirgiz epic Manas have been listed in UNESCO's "representative list of human intangible cultural heritage" and "list of intangible cultural heritage in urgent need of protection".

　　Xu Guixiang: In his report, Adrian Zenz said that Xinjiang monitored ethnic minorities through the work of “investigating people’s condition, benefiting people’s livelihood and drawing people’s hearts closer” and digital social governance. This question goes to Elijan Anayat.

　　Elijan Anayat: In his so-called The Karakax List: Dissecting the Anatomy of Beijing’s Internment Drive, Adrian Zen said “the working team of ‘investigating people’s condition, benefiting people’s livelihood and drawing people’s hearts closer’ aims to penetrate into the Uygur communities and families, and its main purpose is to collect information, investigate and monitor residents, and provide support for the detention”. This is a sheer fabrication out of nothing. In fact, since 2014, Xinjiang has carried out the work of “investigating people’s condition, benefiting people’s livelihood and drawing people’s hearts closer” in villages for seven consecutive years. Every year, 12,000 working teams and more than 70,000 cadres are selected from government organizations at all levels to go deep into the villages, pastoral areas and local communities, and do many good and practical things that are popular with the people, which are warmly supported and welcomed by the masses of all ethnic groups.

　　Now, let’s invite Yu Zhonghua, a team member of CNPC Tuha Oilfield Company in Sayi Village, Langan Town, Shufu County, to tell us their story.

　　Yu Zhonghua: in 2017, we went to Sayi Village, Langan Town, Shufu County to work in the village. After arriving here, we were attracted by the simple folk customs and hospitable people here. Before, people were living on growing wheat and corn. Since the production structure is simple, poultry raising isn’t that profitable. The annual per capital income in 2017 is less than 6000 yuan. In view of the current situation that villagers’ planting and breeding technology was not high, we invited technical personnel to teach villagers high-efficiency agricultural planting, forest and fruit planting, vegetable planting, breed cattle with more than one million annual income. Tusunjan Rozi’s greenhouse has brought him nearly ten thousand per mu. The Tayi’erjiang Tuoheti’s and Awaguli Maimaiti’s set up a honey production cooperative in Sayl Village, with an annual output of more than 60 tons of honey and an annual sales revenue of 3 million yuan. We guided the villagers to plan animal husbandry, bee breeding and other techniques for increasing production and income.

　　With our help, three households including Tulahun Yusup’s have raised more than 60 new t peaches native to Shufu scientifically, with an income of more than 25，000 yuan per mu. We also built workshop for poverty alleviation with monthly income at least 2500 yuan. Villagers asked us whether they could work there. Each time when employees in workshop for poverty alleviation meet us, they all say that, workshop yahshi (good), rehmat (thank you).

　　We’ve worked, studied, hang out together with villagers since the village-residential work begin. Children in the village will always meet us with “hello, hello”, just like our families.We often visit villagers’ homes, some of them will get upset if we don’t visit. We were having meals and dancing together. We listen to them, chat with them face to face, and solve practical difficulties. We have a good reputation there.

　　Through efforts of working group, with wisdom and hard work of all the cadres and villagers, the annual per capital income increased from less than 6000 yuan in 2017 to 12000 yuan in 2020. All of the 139 households have got rid of poverty. Great changes have taken place in the village: dusty packway turns into wide asphalt road, mud-brick houses turn into safe housing. There’s full coverage of tap water, TV and network. The bathroom is equipped with water heater and toilet, which are almost the same as the life of urban residents.

　　Facts are the facts, happy life can’t be wiped out or obliterated by Adrian Zenz’s slander and lie.

　　Elijan Anayat: Adrian Zen also said in his report that “through administrative management and technological innovation, Xinjiang has carried out large-scale surveillance or grid management specifically for the Muslin minority to collect information.” As we all know, it is a common practice in the international community to use modern scientific and technological products and big data methods to improve the level of social governance. In Xinjiang, these measures have greatly enhanced the sense of security and won the general support of the masses of all ethnic groups. It should be emphasized that these measures are not targeted at any particular ethnic group, and the monitoring facilities themselves will not automatically identify and target a particular ethnic group. They deter bad people and protect good people. At the same time, we attach great importance to the protection of citizen’s personal privacy, strictly implement Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China, Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Strengthening the Protection of Network Information and other laws and regulations, follow the principles of legality, justice and necessity, and do a good job in the collection, use and protection of personal information, etc.

　　Xu Guixiang: Adrain Zenz said in his report that “the purpose of setting up boarding schools in Xinjiang is to carry out ‘large-scale detention operation’”, and that it is creating “intergeneration separation” and “a powerful tool for assimilating the Uygur nationality”. I’d like to talk about it.

　　In his so-called report Breaking the Root: Evidence of the Parent-Child Separation Movement in Xinjiang, China, Adrian Zen assumed that boarding schools and preschool education in Xinjiang were the “all-out guarantee” of the so-called “detention movement”, and said that “boarding school system is used to contain and manage the consequences of large-scale detention movement”. Adrian Zenz neither knows Chinese education policy nor did he ever go to boarding school, then he released such mephitis which is foul in nature.

　　In fact, the establishment of boarding schools in Xinjiang has nothing to do with de-radicalization. Xinjiang is a vast region with a long distance between villages and towns. It is very inconvenient for students to go to school, and a heavy burden for parents to pick up their children to and from school. In order to solve this problem, nearly 400 boarding primary and secondary schools were built in Xinjiang as early as the 1980s. In recent years, the state has strengthened the construction of boarding schools. According to the requirements, Xinjiang has made scientific and reasonable planning in combination with the development of new urbanization, the implementation of Rural Revitalization Strategy, the changing trend of local school-age children as well as factors such as geography, transportation, environment, and safety. Boarding school construction strictly abides by the relevant national and regional construction standards, and all kinds of learning and living facilities are complete. The teachers in boarding schools are guaranteed through recruitment, training, supporting education from other provinces, and government purchase of services. The funds for running boarding schools are entirely borne by the government. In the stage of compulsory education, students in boarding schools are free of tuition and textbook fees, just as students in other schools. Rural boarding students are free of board and lodging fees, and enjoy special living subsidies. Each student in primary school can get 1250 yuan per academic year, and in junior middle school, 1500 yuan per academic year. This effectively reduces the economic burden of students’ families. As for whether students are boarding or not, it is entirely up to the students to choose voluntarily. There is no so-called “forced boarding”.

　　As for what he said in his report, “compulsory security measures have been implemented in all educational facilities in Xinjiang”, “these security measures are comparable to those in concentration camps” and “the state tries to prevent Uygur parents, relatives or community members from raising their children”. These arguments are completely calling black write. The local government in Xinjiang has equipped security system for schools and kindergartens, which is determined by the sever situation of frequent violent and terrorist activities for a period of time. The purpose is to protect the right to life and health of children of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. The management of all primary and secondary schools in Xinjiang, including boarding schools, is based on the Education Law of the People’s Republic of China, Compulsory Education Law of the People’s Republic of China and other laws and regulations. The school attaches great importance to the personal safety of students. When they leave school, the teaching staff send the students to their parents, or send them to their home by school bus. So far, no students have been injured in boarding schools in Xinjiang. At the same time, boarding schools in Xinjiang have never restricted the contact between students and their parents. Boarding school students arrive at school every Monday morning, finish school on Friday afternoon, and go home on weekends, on holidays and festivals, and in winter and summer vacations. If they have something to do, they can ask for leave at any time. In order to facilitate the contact between parents and students, each dormitory of the school is equipped with a telephone, and students can call their parents at any time. The school head teacher’s telephone is known to students’ parents, and parents can call the teacher if necessary.

　　Next, let’s invite Amangul Tohtisulayman, one of the parents of boarding school students in Yitian County, Hotan Prefecture, to talk about her experience and feelings.