TIANSHANNET
The 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
December 6, 2021, Beijing
Photo taken on December 6, 2021 shows the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by XUAR in Beijing. (Photo by Xinjiang Daily / Zhou Peng)
On December 6, 2021, the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was held in Beijing. The following is the memoir of the conference.
Xu Guixiang: Good morning, dear fellow media reporters! Welcome to the press conference on Xinjiang related issues of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. I'm Xu Guixiang, the spokesman of the People's Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
First, I’d like to introduce the attendees of today’s press conference. They are Elijan Anayat, spokesman of the People's Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Nabijan Iburayim, member of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Muzapal Munawal, member of the Ethnic and Religious Foreign Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Serijan Selikebay, deputy secretary general of the Twelfth Committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. We also invite Iminjan Zari, director of the Civil Affairs Department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Su Delin, director of the Village Committee of Miliangquan Village, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to introduce some related conditions virtually.
Recently, the topic of democracy has attracted much attention. In particular, the so-called " Summit for Democracy" which will be held by the United States from December 9 to 10, has aroused widespread condemnation by the international community. Today's press conference on Xinjiang-related issues mainly focuses on the topic of democracy. We will show you the rich practice of promoting democracy in Xinjiang, China, and expose the hypocritical nature of "American democracy".
Photo taken on December 6, 2021 shows Xu Guixiang, spokesman of People’s Government of XUAR hosts and speaks at the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Beijing. (Photo by Xinjiang Daily / Zhou Peng)
First of all, I’d like to emphasize that democracy is the unswerving pursuit of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. China's democracy is people's democracy. People are the masters of the country and this is the essence and core of China’s democracy. The whole-process people's democracy is a great creation of Chinese people. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people to unswervingly follow the path of socialist democratic development with Chinese characteristics, continuously deepened our understanding of the laws of democratic political development, and innovatively put forward the major concept of the whole-process people's democracy and vigorously promoted it. The whole-process people's democracy has realized the unity of process democracy and achievement democracy, procedural democracy and substantive democracy, direct democracy and indirect democracy, people's democracy and national will. It is the most extensive, veritable and effective socialist democracy. Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, Xinjiang always adheres to the people-centered development idea and puts the concept of the whole-process people's democracy into practice. Xinjiang also actively strengthened the construction of socialist democracy in light of the actual conditions to effectively guarantee the rights of people of all ethnic groups to be masters of the country, and promote the development of various undertakings prosperously.
Today, we invite several representatives from Xinjiang to introduce the practice of socialist democracy in Xinjiang.
Xu Guixiang: Next, let’s give the floor to Nabijan Iburayim, member of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the 13th National People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and he will give us some details about the implementation of the system of People’s Congress in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Photo taken on December 6, 2021 shows Nabijan Ibrayim, member of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the 13th National People's Congress of XUAR speaks at the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Beijing. (Photo by Xinjiang Daily / Zhou Peng)
Nabijan Iburayim: The People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is a local organ of state power in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It exercises its right of autonomy under the Organization Law of the Local People's Congress and Local People's Governments of the PRC, and at the same time, in accordance with the Constitution, the Law of Regional National Autonomy and Other regulations. In terms of the Constitution and laws, we not only enjoy the local legislative power of ordinary provincial administrative regions, but also enjoy the legislative power to formulate autonomous regulations and specific regulations based on the actual situation of the region. Since 1979, the People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and its Standing Committee have formulated a total of 669 local laws and regulations, 161 of which are currently in force, made 54 regulations and decisions on major matters, and ratify 239 specific regulations and local regulations of cities, autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties which have their own districts.
In Xinjiang, citizens of all ethnic groups have equal rights to vote and to be elected. Elections adhere to the principle of universality, equality, direct and indirect elections, as well as multi-candidate elections. Citizens' right to vote has the broadest universality, and deputies to the National People's Congress are the representatives of most Chinese people. Citizens of all ethnic groups directly elect deputies to the people's congress of counties (cities, districts) and townships (towns), and then, on this basis, people elect deputies to the people's congress of prefectures (cities), autonomous region and nation step by step. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region elected 61 deputies to the 13th National People's Congress, of which 38 were ethnic minorities, accounting for 62.3%. There are representatives of Xinjiang ethnic minorities in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. There were 548 deputies to the 13th People's Congress of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, including 353 ethnic minorities, which accounted for 64.42%. There are 2，488 deputies to the People's Congress of prefectures (cities) in Xinjiang, of which 1349 are ethnic minorities, accounting for 54.22%; 16,960 deputies to the People's Congress of counties (cities, districts) , of which 10，025 are ethnic minorities, accounting for 59.11% and 43，204 deputies to the People's Congress of townships (towns), of which 31，739 are ethnic minorities, accounting for 73.46%.
Xu Guixiang: Next, let’s give the floor to Muzapal Munawal, member of the Ethnic and Religious Foreign Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and he will give us some relevant introduction about the implementation of the System of Regional National Autonomy in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Muzapal Munawal: Regional National Autonomy is a basic political system in China. Regional National Autonomy means that the minority nationalities, under unified State leadership, practise regional autonomy in areas where they live in concentrated communities and set up organs of self-government for the exercise of the power of autonomy in accordance with the law. Xinjiang is the only autonomous region with three levels of autonomy (autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures, autonomous counties) in China. People's congresses and people's governments at all levels in autonomous areas exercise their power to administer the affairs in their regions. The chairman of the autonomous region, the governors of autonomous prefectures and the heads of autonomous counties shall all be the citizens of the ethnic groups that exercise regional autonomy. Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Yanqi Hui Autonomous County, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Mulei Kazakh Autonomous County, Mongolian Autonomous County of Hoboksar, Tajik Autonomous County of Taxkorgan and Kazak Autonomous County of Barkol have been established. All the autonomous areas fully exercise their right of autonomy to manage local affairs independently, and participate in the management of state affairs equally.
Xu Guixiang: Next, let’s give the floor to Serijan Selikebay, deputy secretary general of the Twelfth Committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and he will introduce the implementation of the system of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Photo taken on December 6, 2021 shows Serijan Selikebay, deputy secretary general of the Twelfth Committee of XUAR of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference speaks at the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Beijing. (Photo by Xinjiang Daily / Zhou Peng)
Serijan Selikebay: Within the institutional framework of consultative democracy, the CPPCC at all levels in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region actively innovate the forms of consultation, enrich contents, set up platforms, absorb people from all ethnic groups and all walks of life to participate in and manage state affairs, timely, accurately and effectively reflect public opinion, and effectively ensure that people of all ethnic groups can participate in joint consultation and democratic supervision. Among the 13th CPPCC National Committee, 34 members live in Xinjiang, including 18 members of ethnic minorities, accounting for 52.9%. There are 502 members in the 12th CPPCC of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 236 members of whom are ethnic minorities, accounting for 47%. As of March 2021, the 12th CPPCC of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had submitted 2,588 proposals, covering politics, economy, culture, education, technology, people’s livelihood and other fields.
Xu Guixiang: Next, we are going to connect Iminjan Zari, the director of the Civil Affairs Department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and invite him to introduce the implementation of the protection of democratic rights at the grassroots level in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Iminjan Zari: Community-level self-governance is a major channel of grassroots democracy in China, and the most effective way to spread as widely as possible the right of the people to be the masters of the country. A number of local regulations provide the legal basis for protecting grassroots democratic rights in the region, including Measures on Implementing the Organization Law of the Urban Residents Committees, Measures on Implementing the Organization Law of the Villagers Committees, Procedures on the Election of the Villagers Committee, and Measures on Making Village Affairs Transparent. Xinjiang currently has 3,389 urban residents committees and 8,906 villagers committees to run public or welfare affairs, mediate disputes, assist in safeguarding social stability within their respective jurisdictions, and report on the opinions, requests and proposals of residents and villagers to relevant people’s governments or their detached agencies. Almost all communities in both urban and rural areas throughout Xinjiang have formulated codes of conduct for citizens. Their capacity to manage their own affairs by involving the local residents in educating and serving the community and exercising public scrutiny is steadily improving. For example, Su Delin, a 50-year-old villager in Miliangquan Village, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was elected the Director of the Village Committee of his village by secret ballot. In the election process, the rights of all ethnic groups to know, to participate and to elect have been fully guaranteed.
Photo taken on December 6, 2021 shows Iminjan Zari, director of the Civil Affairs Department of XUAR speaks via online video at the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Beijing. (Photo by Xinjiang Daily / Zhou Peng)
Xu Guixiang: Next, we are going to connect Su Delin, the director of the Village Committee of Miliangquan Village, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and invite him to introduce the situation of grassroots democratic elections.
Su Delin: Hello, everyone. I am Su Delin, Hui nationality, 50 years old. I am a native of Miliangquan Village, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County. This year, I was elected the Director of the Village Committee by villagers. In the process of the election, we elected the villagers committees in strict accordance with laws, including the Organization Law of the Villagers Committees of the People’s Republic of China, Measures on Implementing the Organization Law of the Villagers Committees and so on. We held the Villagers Congress and elected the Villagers Election Committee in accordance with laws and the principle of secret ballot and majority rule. At the Congress, we adopted the Working Responsibilities of the Villagers Election Committee which ensured that the whole process of general election procedure was legal, open and transparent.
Photo taken on December 6, 2021 shows Su Delin, director of the Village Committee of Miliangquan Village, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, XUAR speaks via online video at the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Beijing. (Photo by Xinjiang Daily / Zhou Peng)
In order to fully protect the right to know of the people of all ethnic groups in the village, we extensively publicized the Organization Law of the Villagers Committees of the People’s Republic of China, villagers’ rights and obligations and election process through rural loudspeakers, residents WeChat groups, announcement letters, publicity columns, leaflets and other ways to make sure everyone knows. At the same time, election consultation station and hotline have been set up to facilitate people to learn the policy at any time.
In order to fully protect people of all ethnic groups' rights to participate, we release announcement in time to inform the villager committee the voter registration day . Villager who has reached the age of eighteen, worked in this village or lived there for more than a year, all(except those who deprived of political rights by law) enjoy the right to vote and stand for election and register voters regardless of ethic group, gender, occupation or religious belief. After villagers committees repeatedly check to make sure that there is no missing , and the voter roll needs to be informed on 20 days before election day.
On the polling day, with the villager committee's support and supervision, the candidate will meet the villagers one by one, introduce their working plans, answer questions from the villagers and carry out election contest and vote in accordance with law. For the convenience of voters, we adopt an approach that combines election meeting and polling station for those electors who can't vote. We handle entrustment in writing to protect their rights to vote. After voting, the election personnel check out one by one and count the total number of votes, then we call out the names and count the ballot uniformly, and publish the results on the spot. The whole village's participation reaches 99.8 percent, which fully protect people’s right to vote. Through democratic elections, the new villagers committees have been elected with women holding 60 percent and ethic group holding 100 percent of it.
In terms of the work of Villager Autonomy, the village is managed in strict accordance with Law of the People's Republic of China on Villagers' Autonomy, perfecting the regulations including the system of villager meeting, village representative meeting and village regulations, standardizing the meeting and decision-making procedures, which have achieved villagers' self-management and toughened the village-level democratic administration. When talking and determining the major issues in the village, we always adhere to democratic centralism. We hold the village committee meeting and talk about revising decision scheme, submitting it to the villager congress or carry out after being decided by villages meeting. Recent years, the implement of livelihood project including converting cultivated land into forest, road building, distributary building and drinking water project is all done after being decided by villages meeting in our village. Currently, the villagers' host consciousness including self-management, self-education and self-service is being raised, their enthusiasm and initiative to participate village-level administration and economic development is raised markedly.
Next, let's give the floor to Nabijan Ibrayim, member of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, introduce the concept and the practice of implementing whole-process people's democracy in Xinjiang.
Nabijan Ibrayim: We are fully aware of the democratic standpoint, concept and basic idea of CPC, combining with the facts of Xinjiang, giving full play to the role of the People's Congress as the main democratic channel.
First is to put people's will throughout work unswervingly, laying a solid foundation of the master of people own affairs. The 13th People's Congress of the autonomous region and its Standing Committee push the democratic legislation deeply, playing People's Congress's leading role in legislation fully, improving the procedures of legislation hearing, arguing, discussing and assessing. And they form “full chain” procedure of soliciting public opinion on legislation in the whole process of legislative decision, let people of all ethnic groups participate in the local legislative work on all aspects. They adhere to legislation for the people and by the people, choose grassroots organization which has foundation and features as legislative work's contact points, seek advice from people, grassroots cadres and People's Congress for legislative program, laws and regulations' establishment and abolishment face to face, making legislative work straight to the door and for the ordinary family. When making the legislative planning, they adhere to seek needs, comments and administration from the public, open to public comments widely and building legislative consensus to the maximum extent. They adhere to put people of all ethic group's best hope that social stability and long-term stability as the legislative work's main direction, providing powerful legal weapons for maintaining social harmony and stability according to law and fighting against violent terrorist crimes. And they formulate and revise regulations of the autonomous region on environmental protection and some laws which concern with people's livelihood, making people of all ethnic groups have more direct and actual sense of contentment, happiness and safety.
Second is to put “people” throughout the entire process of supervision by People's Congress unswervingly, which manifests the regulatory that people’s supervision is everywhere. The 13th People's Congress of the autonomous region and its Standing Committee adhere to be open to supervision, stay close to the grassroots and the masses. By comprehensive application of Symposium of deputies to the National People's Congress and Grassroots forum, they find the problems that people confront in time, reflect public's opinion and sum up experience from people, pushing the supervising work forward to satisfy people's need and anticipation through on-the-ground inspections, random inspections, questionnaire and online research. They adhere to put people's concerns as the supervision work's main point, organize to carry out law enforcement inspections including Food Safety Law, Infectious Diseases Prevention and Treatment Law and the Property Management Regulations. They hear and consider special work reports including the project of enriching and stabilizing the people, public cultural service and medical security. They adhere to regard problem solution as the important standard to inspect the supervision effort of People's Congress, hear and consider the special report of poverty alleviation program for three years, conduct fixed point continuous tracking research, which makes active contribution to to win the battle against poverty. They carry out supervision continuously about pre-school education, bilingual education, compulsory education and high-school education, which makes people of all ethnic groups feel more fully contented, more continuously happy and more guaranteed safe. They adhere to adopt the legal means of special inquiry well, from inquiring medicine and learning, inquiring safety of agricultural products to inquiring public safety, lawsuit service and estate management, from special inquiry once a year to two or three times a year, from written inquiry to unwritten inquiry, to push the party concerned to find out deficiency, bolster weak spots, grasp practice and improve people lives. And they review special report and special inquiry in time, making the supervision of People's Congress effectively to making sure that people are satisfied.
Third is to unswervingly give full play to the People's Congresses at different levels. When there is requirement from the people, a response is a must, cohering the greatest common divisor effectively. The 13th People's Congress of the autonomous region and its Standing Committee pay great attention to the university of constitute of representatives, which guarantees that every region, every ethnic groups and every aspects have appropriate number of representative to the National People's Congress. They adhere to broadening the channel and enrich the form as the crucial foundation and key link to do a good job in representative work, establish and improve mechanism of the members of the standing committee and special committee to connect with representative of People's Congress, representative of People's Congress connect with people, promoting “one government, one committee, People's Court and People's Procuratorate” to strengthen lies between People's Congress and people, smooth the system of the expression of social condition and public opinions and feedback. They set up “People's Congress's course”, playing People's Congress's strength that implants in people and professional background, let them step up the platform to introduce the situation, exchange experience and reflect the situation based on staying close to the masses, devoting to research and collecting public opinion. They hold the Standing Committee Open Day, inviting citizen representatives from all walks of life to walk into organ of national People's Congress, know the work of national People's Congress, sit in on the meeting of the NPC's Standing Committee, and building a new platform of people participate and supervise the work of national People's Congress. They adhere to put the construction which represents “family station” as the important carrier to serve the representative to work and carry out the duties, which achieves making the site construction and representative into station got cover coverage, making it become increasingly important support for representatives to the People's Congresses at different levels to connect with people, executive and implement activities. They put the proposal handling which is full of people's will as an important work. Every year, they hold the meeting for representative advice to respond during National People's Congress in high-level.The Standing Committee listen to the representative proposals advice handling report, organizing representative to inspect and evaluated satisfaction , improving the quality and efficiency of representative proposal handling continuously.
Xu Guixiang: It has been proved by practice that the democratic practice in Xinjiang is a vivid illustration of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics, will certainly provide a fundamental guarantee for people of all ethnic groups get together to struggle and mutually prosper and grow. But anti-China forces in America and other Western countries fabricate lots of fallacies about the democratic and political construction in Xinjiang, they keep from talking about people in Xinjiang enjoys democratic rights, but smear Xinjiang and interfere in China's domestic affairs. In this regard, we strongly condemn and firmly oppose it!
For a long time, American has claimed itself as the “beacon of democracy” “democracy mentor” and “model of democracy”. But from the facts, “the American-style democracy” is just the privilege for minority, the slave of American money politics , the pretext of American politician to buy votes, the fig-leaf to interfere in other country's domestic affairs. The abuse of exporting such “democracy”, American political right has been deprived, the right people of the world has been trampled, the common value of human society has been blasphemed. “the American-style democracy” has made the world bedlam and turbulent, people of the world havecondemned American for a long time. It has been proved by facts that the orientation American's so-called “beacon of democracy” has been deviated, “democracy mentor” has been self-destroyed, “model of democracy” has collapsed. American has no rights, no qualification and no face to gossip about other country and region!
Surprisingly, it is such a country who is faze democratic and anti-democratic that holds “Summit for Democracy” , which is totally evil deed of inciting ideological confrontation, scandal of carrying out hegemonism, countercurrent of preventing the forward in the modern world , manifestation of cold war thinking is everywhere. This so-called “Summit for Democracy” is in no way the “democracy”, but blasphemer and destroyer of democracy, they will certainly suffer ridicule, cast and accusation from people of the world.
Next, let's take off the cloak of “American Democracy” and see the misdeeds of American fake democracy and anti-democracy.
Xu Guixiang: The "Democracy" in the United States is the democracy of the upper elite and the minority. The so-called election cannot reflect public opinion or protect the interests of the public. I want to invite Mr. Nabijan Iburayim，a member of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region，to share his opinions.
Nabijan Iburayim: The original intention of democracy is that the people are the masters of the country. But the "democracy" in the United States only serves a small number of elites and cannot ensure that the people truly participate in the management of state affairs and express their will. As The American historian Beard said, "American democracy is a cabal of talented capitalist speculators that has successfully cajole the common man into accepting a regime designed to benefit a few dignitaries."
Citizens’ electoral rights was restricted. In the United States, minority voters were denied the right to vote, low-income people were severely restricted. The elderly and disabled faced more obstacles in exercising their right. According to a report on the website of the Catholic National Register on May 22, 2018, 23 states have passed some form of voter suppression law since 2010. And 17 of them have targeted Native Americans and other indigenous people. According to a report on the website of Newsweek on November 21, 2017, thousands of Americans are denied the right to vote because of poverty, and nine states have passed legislation to disenfranchise anyone who has not paid legal fees or court fines. According to a report on the website of the New York Times on November 24, 2017, polling stations in the United States are equipped with voting machines that are difficult for the elderly or disabled to use.
Election corruption is getting worse. As we all know, "money for votes" is a common phenomenon in the American election process. According to a report on the Website of the Guardian on August 7, 2018, there is a widespread public perception that United States elections are corrupt, with members of Congress captured by corporations, rich people and special interests. Former United States President Jimmy Carter once said in an interview, "There is only oligarchy in the United States now, and unlimited political bribery is the main factor in nominating presidential candidates or being elected president. The same is true for governors, senators and members of Congress. Now our political system has been subverted and used only to reward major donors."
The interests of the people cannot be protected. The phenomenon of political polarization in the United States is becoming increasingly serious. The two parties use the "democratic" mechanism to fight each other endlessly, resulting in the government falling into internal friction and the failure of national governance. As soon as one party takes office, the other party overturns health care and other bills, which makes it difficult to make sustainable progress in improving people's livelihood. Politicians talk a lot about winning votes and satisfying the interests of the groups behind them, but when they are in office, they rarely deliver real benefits. Under the outbreak of the crisis situation, the two parties not only repeated on many issues and also the impact response to the outbreak of the second bailout bill as a campaign tool. They refuse to compromise for winning votes. It causes millions of the common people live a hard life, and a lot COVID-19 infected people died before they get timely treatment.
Xu Guixiang: The "Democracy" in the United States is money democracy with the stench of copper. Ordinary people were deprived of their political rights and it served the interests of interest groups and the rich. Now, I'd like to invite Mr. Elijan Anayat, spokesman of the People's Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, who can share his opinions.
Photo taken on December 6, 2021 shows Elijan Anayat, spokesman of People’s Government of XUAR speaks at the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Beijing. (Photo by Xinjiang Daily / Zhou Peng)
Elijan Anayat: For a long time, relying on the strong comprehensive national strength of the United States, the "American democracy" that flaunts "freedom and fairness" sounds grand and is regarded by many people as the model of Western democracy. But if you lift the veil of "American democracy" and you will find that it is far less "clean" than it claims: the political system in the United States has been corrupted by money. And the increasingly money politics has distorted public opinion.
Elections become money games. "Voters’ decision" becomes "money’s decisions". More and more money has been spent on United States presidential elections, rising from $700 million in 2004 to $1 billion in 2008, $2 billion in 2012 and $6.6 billion in 2016. According to a report released by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan research institute, the total cost of the 2020 election is nearly $14 billion, more than double the cost of the 2016 election and making it the most expensive political election in the United States history. Midterm election spending in the United States also rose rapidly, from $2.18 billion in 2002 to $5.2 billion in 2018. In the 2018 midterm elections, the average cost of winning a Senate seat was $19.4 million, and the average cost of winning a House seat was more than $1.5 million. The Website of The New York Times once commented that "American democracy is drowning in money politics, which has made American economic policy over the past 40 years strongly reflect the preferences of the richest and have little to do with the preferences of poor and middle-income Americans."
The government becomes the voice of interest groups. High election costs raise the bar for entry and exclude most people from the election. Only a few people with the ability to raise large amounts of campaign money can enter the political race in the United States. This creates a breeding ground for rich people and interest groups to bribe candidates with money. When politicians win the election and come into power, if they want to repay the political contributions obtained from the financial magnates, they must be inclined from the perspective of policy and become pawns for those financial magnates to seek greater interests. According to an article published on the website of The British weekly report on December 14, 2018, corporations have captured American politicians through campaign donations and promises of profit returns, which makes politicians legislate on their behalf. Kishore Mahbubani, a Singaporean academic, put it even more bluntly: "The United States is no longer a democracy but a plutocracy with a 'government of the 1%, by the 1% and for the 1%'."
It must be pointed out that there is not true democracy with "plutocracy". It is not the people but the money that gives politicians power, and it is not the people but the donors that politicians work for. Such a democracy can hardly be called "the people are masters of the country", and it will only be completely discredited by the people.
Xu Guixiang: The "Democracy" in the United States is a democracy with increasingly racism. Instead of enjoying genuine democracy and human rights, ethnic minorities suffer from discrimination and oppression. I would like to brief you on this.
Xu Guixiang: As is known to all, the United States pursues white supremacy and racism runs rampant. Ethnic minorities inevitably suffer from all-round discrimination in economic, cultural and social life in the United States. They cannot enjoy real democracy and human rights at all.
White supremacy is on the rise. The United States is still a nation of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, and all racial, ethnic, and religious cultural groups that do not conform to these characteristics are inevitably discriminated against to some extent. Especially since 2016, white supremacy in the United States has shown a resurgence, leading to racial confrontation and hatred. Such as the death of the African American Floyd by police violence in 2020, and the frequent tragedies of Asian attacks this year. The problem still cannot be fundamentally solved at the institutional level.
Racial inequality has worsened. The poverty rate rose 2.4 percentage points between June and November 2020, while the poverty rate for African Americans rose 3.1 percentage points, according to a study by the University of Chicago and The University of Notre Dame. The median wealth of white households is 42 times that of African Americans and 23 times that of Hispanics. The USA Today website reported on October 23, 2020 that in the first quarter of 2020, the home ownership rate of white households was 73.7 percent, while that of Black households was only 44 percent. According to the statistics from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate of African Americans and Hispanics is much higher than that of whites, and the unemployment rate of African Americans is usually about twice that of whites. Hispanic unemployment is typically about 40 percent higher than white unemployment. The Washington Post website reported on June 4, 2020 that less than half of African American adults still had jobs after the pandemic.
Racial discrimination is common in law enforcement and justice. The Los Angeles Times reported on September 15, 2020 that racial bias exists in the application of the death penalty in the United States federal judicial system, and killing African Americans is less likely to face the death penalty than killing white people. When the victim was white, the tendency to punish suspects of color was even greater. "In our country, the criminal justice system is determined by your wallet and the color of your skin," said a commentary published on the Website of the Miami Herald on December 18, 2020. The UN special rapporteur on racism, Tendai Achume pointed out disappointedly that for African-Americans, the United States legal system had failed to solve racial injustice and discrimination.
Coloured races are strongly affected by the epidemic. On August 21, 2020, the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent of the United Nations Human Rights Council submitted a report to the 45th session of the Human Rights Council, pointing out that the infection rate and death rate of COVID-19 in the United States showed significant racial disparities. African Americans’ infection rates are three times as many as whites’ rates, admission rates are five times as many as whites’ rates and death rates are as two times as many as whites’ rates. The USA Today website commented on October 22, 2020 that the death toll of coloured race is much higher than that of white people, which can be attributed to the unequal education and economic system that prevents coloured race from getting well-paid jobs. Housing discrimination results in dense housing for coloured race and environmental policies are performed at the expense of the poor.
Xu Guixiang: The "Democracy" in the United States is a hegemonic democracy. In essence, the so-called "export of democracy model" is to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and stir up internal conflicts and launch wars of aggression. Now, I would like to invite Mr. Serijan Selikebay, deputy Secretary-general of the 12th Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to brief you on relevant information.
Serijan Selikebay: For decades, the United States has been committed to promoting the "American democracy" model around the world, imposing its own system and values on others. They even interfere in other countries' internal affairs and manipulate regime changes in other countries, in an attempt to impose the "American democracy" on other countries to serve its global strategic and geopolitical needs. The end result is a patchwork of challenges that do nothing to build a truly stable and sustainable democracy in the region, and fuel conflict and chaos that spawn countless humanitarian crises.
In 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan in the name of fighting terrorism, trying to transplant their "American democracy". Twenty years later, the United States has fled the debacle in Afghanistan, leaving behind only war and destruction. In 2003, the United States invaded Iraq on trumped-up charges, which plunged the country into a protracted war and allowed extremist groups and other terrorist forces to take advantage of the situation. In 2010, the United States instigated the "Arab Spring", which resulted in the change of regime in more than a dozen countries in the middle east and the impoverishment of people's lives. Syria, Libya and Yemen are currently in civil wars, and millions of people have been displaced as refugees, becoming the wounds of the middle east and the pain of the world.
It has been proven that the "American democracy", is a political decline, failure and it makes trouble. It also let people see the "American democracy" caused further transformation of human tragedy and let more people know how hypocritical to have been schooled by American"liberal democracy, human rights". At the same time, it also expose the hidden in the harsh realities of American political flashy appearance. Today, "American democracy" has become the biggest threat to the independent lives of people everywhere. According to a May poll by the Danish Democratic Alliance Foundation, nearly half of the more than 50,000 respondents in 53 countries and territories are concerned that the United States threatens democracy in their countries.
It must be pointed out that each country's democratic path and model should be in line with its national conditions and development realities. It should be explored and developed by its own people. It is against the concept of democracy to use one set of democratic standards and one model to judge whether all countries are democratic or not. The democratic model of relying on force, coercion and pressure to sell itself to the outside world is the opposite of democracy. It will only intensify division and confrontation and trigger conflicts and chaos. Such hegemonic democracy is bound to be resisted and resisted by the international community.
Xu Guixiang: The “democracy” in the U.S., which is a double-standard democracy. The U.S. ignores its own social problems, but openly criticizes the democracy, rule of law and ethnic religious policies in other countries, even labels violent terrorists as “democratic guards”, and support them to undermine the stable development of other countries. Now, let’s give the floor to Mr. Muzappar Munawar, the member of the Ethnic and Religious Foreign Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to introduce relevant situation.
Photo taken on December 6, 2021 shows Muzapal Munawal, member of the Ethnic and Religious Foreign Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of XUAR speaks at the 62nd Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Beijing. (Photo by Xinjiang Daily / Zhou Peng)
Muzappar Munawar: The situation of democracy and human rights in the U.S. is thoroughly in a mess. The “Black Lives Matter” movement has not completely subsided, and the wave of “Stop Asian Hate” has risen again; The COVID-19 situation is out of control, and the human rights crisis is unbearable to see; The gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, and the epidemic accelerates to tear social... All these facts show that “American democracy” has been distorted in its “self struggle” . However, the U.S. doesn’t agree with this. On the contrary, it acts as an “international police”, pursues “double standards”, and wantonly criticizes and comments on the situation of democracy and human rights in other countries.
For example, when terrorist attacks occur in the U.S., Canada,Western Europe, Northern Europe, Israel and Australia and other countries or regions, American politicians and public opinion will be worried and express sympathy toward the victims of terrorist attacks. However, for terrorist attacks in countries or regions including China, Russia, Venezuela, Central American countries and most Middle East countries, the U.S. often rarely condemns terrorists or organizations. Instead, it will make use of the subject to accuse these countries or regions of so-called “human rights problems”. On June 26th, 2013, a number of terrorists successively attacked the police station, special patrol squadron, town government and construction site in Lukqin Town, Shanshan County, Turpan Prefecture, amok hacked and killed policemen and innocent people with knives, killing 24 people and wounding 25 people. After the incident, some people in the U.S. called it “the beginning of China’s Democratic Movement”.
For example, in terms of the “Capital Hill attack” in the U.S. in January, 2021, American politicians and the media all condemned it as a “violent incident”, the protesters were “rioters” and “ extremist”, and the impact on the U.S. Congress was a “shameful assault on democracy”. However, with regard to the atrocities of Hong Kong rioters attacking the Legislative Council and seriously trampling on the rule of law, American politicians and the media all called the riot in Hong Kong as “a beautiful sight to behold”, beautified the rioters as “democratic heroes”, and said that “American people stand with them”.
Nowadays, the people in the whole world are increasingly aware that democracy and human rights are only tools for the U.S. As long as they conform to the political and hegemonic interests of the U.S., they will be used to attack others, but when it is their turn, it is a completely new set of standards and excuses. The U.S. can not occupy the moral high ground for the definition and jurisdiction of “democracy”, but exposes the hypocrisy and double standards of “American democracy”.
Xu Guixiang: The “democracy” in the U.S. is fake democracy, which is not only reflected in the structural aspects such as system design, but also reflected in its practice. Let me introduce this situation to you.
Xu Guixiang: with the passage of time, the democratic system of the U.S. has gradually alienated and transformed, which has increasingly deviated from the core of democratic system and the original intention of system design, and there is chaos in democratic practice.
Firstly, the polarization between the rich and the poor has intensified. The U.S. is the western country with the most serious polarization between the rich and the poor. In 2021, the Gini coefficient of the U.S. rose to 0.48, almost a new high in half a century. The Institute for Policy Studies, an American think tank, reported that from 1990 to 2021, the overall wealth of American billionaires increased by 19 times, while the median wealth of the U.S. increased by only 5.53% in the same period, which revealed the cruel reality of “the rich get richer, the poor get poorer”. Especially since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. has introduced the stimulus policy, while pushing up stock markets, further widened the gap between the rich and the poor. The wealth of the U.S. billionaires has grown 1.763 trillion dollars, or 59.8%. The wealthiest 10% now own 89% of all America stocks, registering a new historic high. It can be said that, the wealth polarization in the U.S. is inherent to its own political system and the interests of the capital that its government represents. From the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, to the recent “Harambe stares down Wall Street’s Charging Bull”, the American people have never stopped condemning the widening wealth gap. Yet, nothing has changed. Those governing the U.S. choose to do nothing about the growing wealth inequality. And the pandemic has further exposed a rule in American society — capital first and the rich first.
Secondly, “freedom of speech” in name only. In the U.S., the media is juxtaposed with the executive, the legislative and the judiciary as the “fourth branch of government” and journalists are considered “uncrowned kings”. Though American media organizations claim to be independent from politics and serve freedom and truth, they are actually serving financial interests and party politics. In the U.S. today, a few companies are now in control of over 90% of media, netting them an annual profit even higher than the gross domestic product (GDP) of some developing countries. These media behemoths, while eager to make more business footprints, have extended their reach into American politics, attempting to sway political processes through lobbying, public relations campaign or political donations. In an American society dominated by media narratives, traditional notions of civic and political involvement have shriveled. “Depoliticization” has turned democracy into a political game without citizens. A report in Miami’s New Herald argues that as the media is controlled by the elite and consortium, people are not able to distinguish between facts and political propaganda.
Thirdly, the epidemic has taken a heavy toll on the U.S. economy. The rate and scale of business shutdown and unemployment in the country are beyond imagination, leaving a large number of Americans jobless. People’s anxiety and sense of powerlessness has been exacerbated by growing factors of social instability. The COVID Hardship Watch released by the U.S. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on 29 July 2021 suggests that hardship is widespread for Americans in the first half of 2021. There still are 20 million adults live in households that have not got enough to eat, 11.40 million adult renters are behind on rent, facing the risk of being evicted. As indicated in the statistics released by the US Census Bureau, by 5 July 2021, at least one member in 22% of all households with underage dependents had lost their source of income.
Fourthly, the Capitol riot that shocks the world. On January 6th, 2021, the Americans gathered and broke into Capitol building in order to stop the joint session of the Congress from certifying the newly-elected president. This event has undermined the three major bedrocks of the American-style democracy. First, the so-called “democracy” in the U.S. is not democratic as it claims. Some U.S. politicians refused to recognize the election results and their supporters stormed the Capitol violently, undermining the “credibility” of democracy in the U.S.. Second, the so-called “freedom” in the U.S. is not free as it claims. Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms suspended the personal accounts of some U.S. politicians, announced their “death on social media”. This has break the illusion of “freedom of speech” in the US. Third, the so-called “rule of law” in the U.S. is not the rule of law as it claims. The totally different attitudes taken by U.S. law enforcement agencies toward the “Black Lives Matter” protests and the Capitol riot are yet another reminder of the double standards in the U.S. “rule of law”.
Xu Guixiang: The democracy of the United States is far from being perfect. America is no longer the beacon on the hill, its actions have drawn global criticism. Next, let’s give the floor to Elijan Anayat, the spokesman of the People's Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to share his views.
Elijan Anayat: The people of the world have a discerning eye. They see very well the flaws and deficiencies of democracy in the US, hypocrisy in exporting US "democratic values", and US acts of bullying and hegemony around the world in the name of democracy.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson once noted that the US is accustomed to posing as the "global beacon of democracy" and urging everyone else to take a humane approach to what they call "peaceful protests" , but adopting completely opposite measures at home. She further noted that the U.S. is "not a beacon of democracy" , and that the U.S. administration "would do well to, first of all, listen to its own citizens and try to hear them, instead of engaging in witch-hunts in their own country and afterwards talking hypocritically about human rights in other countries" . The US is in no position to lecture other countries on human rights and civil liberties, she noted.
In May 2021, Latana, a German polling agency, and the Alliance of Democracies founded by former NATO Secretary General and former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, released a Democracy Perception Index which is based on a survey of over 50,000 people in 53 countries. The findings reveal that 44% of respondents are concerned that the US may pose a threat to democracy in their country, 50% of Americans surveyed are concerned that the U.S. is an undemocratic country, and 59% of US respondents think that their government acts in the interest of a small group of people.
In June 2021, Brian Klaas, Associate Professor of Politics at University College London, contributed an article to The Washington Post entitled "The world is horrified by the dysfunction of American democracy". The article quotes data from Pew Research Center, which suggest that "America is no longer a ‘shining city upon a hill’" and that most US allies see democracy in the US as "a shattered, washed-up has-been", and that 69% of respondents in New Zealand, 65% in Australia, 60% in Canada, 59% in Sweden, 56% in the Netherlands and 53% in the United Kingdom do not think that the US political system works well. More than a quarter of people surveyed in France, Germany, New Zealand, Greece, Belgium and Sweden believe that American democracy has never been a good example to follow.
A report by the polling agency Eupinions indicates that the EU’s confidence in the US system has declined, with 52% of respondents believing the US democratic system does not work; 65% and 61% of respondents in France and Germany hold the same view.
In September 2021, Martin Wolf, a renowned British scholar, pointed out in his article "The strange death of American democracy" contributed to The Financial Times that the US political environment has reached an "irreversible" point, and "the transformation of the democratic republic into an autocracy has advanced".
In November 2021, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, a Sweden-based think tank, released The Global State of Democracy listing the US as a "backsliding democracy" for the first time. The Secretary General of the institute said that "the visible deterioration of democracy in the United States" is "seen in the increasing tendency to contest credible election results, the efforts to suppress participation (in elections), and the runaway polarization".
Indian political activist Yogendra Yadav points out that the United States is not "an exemplar of democracy", that the world has realized that the US needs to reflect on its democracy and learn from other democracies. Mexican magazine Proceso comments that behind a seemingly free and democratic facade, the US system of democracy has major flaws. Sithembile Mbete, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria, writes in an article published in Mail and Guardian that "many of the markers of free and fair elections — a universal voters’ roll, centralized election management, uniform rules and regulations — are absent in the American system. Much of what we Africans have been trained to recognize as good electoral conduct has never existed in the U.S.."
Xu Guixiang: To sum up the above, I think there are several points worth paying attention to. The first one is that democracy should not be "privatized". Democracy is the right of all peoples, not a private property of a certain country. The final say about whether a country is democratic or not should be judged by the people of the country, not by some foreign country making indiscreet remarks or arbitrary judgement. If the United States decides which countries are democratic or not based on its own likes and dislikes, actually it is pursuing its own arrogance and creating division in the world. This is not democracy in itself. Second, democracy should not be "labeled". How to realize democracy should in light of its national conditions and the needs of its people, then specifically promoted and put into practice by each country. Democracy should be measured by whether it meets the needs of its people, whether it gives them a sense of participation, satisfaction and gain. For countries to judge their democracy only by the standards of the United States alone, it would be a betrayal of the democratic spirit, let alone true democracy. Third, democracy should not be "instrumentalized". In the name of democracy, the US interferes in other countries' internal affairs, infringes on other countries' sovereignty and serves its own political purposes. Such practices are shameful and will only make the world see clearly that the so-called "democracy" is nothing more than a tool for the US to stir up trouble, suppress dissent and engage in bloc politics.
Next, let’s move on to Q&A session, I would like to take your questions from the press.
Xinhua News Agency: Hello, I'm from Xinhua News Agency. We have noted that the so called “Uygur Tribunal” will deliver its verdict on the so called “Genocide against the Uygurs in Xinjiang, China” on December 9, 2021. What is your response for this?
Xu Guixiang: I must make it clear that the so-called "Uygur Tribunal" is not a judicial body at all, but a pseudo tribunal put together by anti-China forces in the US and the West. The so-called "trial" is not a judicial activity at all, but a farce staged by anti-China forces in the US and the West. With "the presumption of guilt", this pseudo tribunal has "pronounced verdict" on a wicked lie. This is a grave violation of the international order, a grave insult to the real victims of "genocide", and a grave provocation to the 25 million people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
The illegality, hypocrisy and absurdity of the so-called "Uygur Tribunal" are manifested in the following aspects. First, from the perspective of the subject of establishment, the "tribunal" was set up by anti-China forces in the US and the West in collusion with the "World Uygur Congress" and other "East Turkistan" organizations. Such an anti-China and terrorist organization has no credibility at all. Second, from the perspective of legal basis, the "tribunal" does not conform to international law and international criminal judicial practice. It has no basis and effect under international law, still less the right to "pronounce judgment". Third, in term funding sources, the "tribunal" is mainly supported by the funds provided by the "World Uyghur Congress". They spend money to hire cheats and to buy lies, which is a complete insult to the law. Fourth, from the way they operate, the "tribunal" presuppose a standpoint of "presumption of guilt", and then forges evidence and deceives the people all over the world. The "charges" they have constructed have been exposed. Fifth, from the point of view of the purpose of establishment, the "tribunal" is to discredit the image of Xinjiang, interfere in Xinjiang affairs and China’s internal affairs. It has been a tool for the anti-China forces in the US and the West to engage in political manipulation. Such a nonsensical "tribunal" controlled by a terrorist organization, will only incur the contempt and condemnation of the international community!
The participants of the "pseudo-tribunal" are all notorious and wicked. Geoffrey Nice, the so-called "presiding judge", is a "pseudo human right defender " who has a close relationship with overseas anti-China forces. The Australian Alert Service, a publication of the Australian Civic Party, posted on its website in March 2019, saying that Geoffrey Nice was a senior British agent who devoted his career into making false accusations against geopolitical targets of Britain and America. Adrian Zenz, the so-called "expert", was an "academic rogue". He is keen on fabricating Xinjiang-related rumors and slandering China. The reports he published are based on false information, with flawed logic and absurd conclusions. It can be said that he has no academic credibility, no academic value and no academic integrity. The so called "victims" like Shairaguri Shawutibhai, Mizhguei Tursun, Hayamure Dawuti, Tulsonnai Ziyarden, they are all "actors" cultivated by anti-China forces in the US and the West. Every time they go on stage to "act", they follow the instructions of the "behind-the-scenes director" and fabricate fake "lines", but they are severely smacked by the truth every time. The so-called "witnesses", such as Doricon Esar and Gullibahar·Mahamutijang, are criminals engaged in separatist and terrorist activities for a long time. They conspired to split, create violence and terrorism, incite hatred, do harm to Xinjiang, their sins and crimes are countless. The so-called "trial" concocted by such a group of people is absolutely absurd.
The so-called "Xinjiang has committed genocide against the Uygurs" is the biggest case of frame-up in human history. It must be pointed out that there are very strict law, evidence and procedural standards for the definition of "genocide", which cannot be determined based on the subjective suppositions, unreliable words and malicious attacks of some countries, organizations and individuals. The policies and measures adopted by Xinjiang are in line with the realities of Xinjiang's economic and social development, the vital interests and universal aspirations of the people of all ethnic groups, and the common practice of the international community. They are righteous and justified acts that can fully stand the test of history. The Chinese people, including over 25 million people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, have made a solid bastion. We have the confidence, will and ability to resolutely safeguard Xinjiang's hard-won prosperity and stability, safeguard China's sovereignty, interests and dignity, and fight against any anti-China forces to the end.