TIANSHANNET
Photo taken on April 8, 2022 shows the 71st Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Urumqi. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zheng Zhuo
Xu Guixiang: Hello, fellow media reporters! Welcome to press conference on Xinjiang related issues by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. I’m Xu Guixiang, the spokesman of the People’s Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. First of all, please allow me to introduce attendees for this press conference.They are Elijan Anayat, spokesman of the People’s Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Mr. Wang Langtao, vice president of the High People’s Court of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Meanwhile, seven scholars, experts, business leaders and employees engaged in labor transfer will join us via video link.They are professor Wang Jiang from Institute of China’s Borderland Studies of Zhejiang Normal University, associate professor Yan Xueqin of Xinjiang Normal University, Alida Tuerahmat, chief human resource officer of Ili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co.,Ltd., Aynur Eimer of Makit County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang working in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Abudureyim Litip, president of Xinjiang Alekud Forestry and Animal Husbandry Science and Technology Co.,Ltd., Mamut Dawut, cotton grower of Yinarik Village, Guleawat Township, Wensu County, Xinjiang and Miregul Yushan, employee of Xinjiang Zhongtai Haihong Textile Printing and Dyeing Co.,Ltd..
It’s reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will hold a public hearing on the so-called Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act recently as a batch of so-called “witnesses” who know nothing about facts in Xinjiang at all are grouped with ulterior intentions to discuss measures to prevent the so-called products of “forced labor” in China from being imported to the United States. Such conducts mean to cloak its attempts to suppress Xinjiang in the name of “the rule of law” and “justice” and cover up its “black hand” of “long-arm jurisdiction” by implementing its domestic law. It fully manifests the hypocrisy and absurdity of the legal system and judicial system of the United States.
Work is a natural thing to do as happy life comes from work rather than pie in the sky. As Xinjiang is an economically underdeveloped region in China, people here have a strong aspiration to change their life through work. Governments at all levels have a very demanding task of promoting work and employment, which highlights the importance and urgency of work. For a long time, promoting work and employment of people of all ethnic groups has been a top priority for governments at all levels in Xinjiang. Proactive work and employment policies are implemented to enhance employment from various channels and secure employment by all means for the sole purpose of safeguarding utmost people’s right to work so that they can live a good life. There’s nothing to blame for such a philosophy and policy.
Photo taken on April 8, 2022 shows Xu Guixiang, spokesman of People’s Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region speaks at the 71st Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by XUAR in Beijing. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zheng Zhuo
We have four questions,that is “four questions of work” to ask and discuss as far as the sophistry fabricated by the anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries is concerned.
Firstly, as the government in Xinjiang assists people of all ethnic groups to work and be employed, does it protect or violate people’s right to work? For a long time, located in the northwest border of China and affected by historical and natural factors, Xinjiang, four prefectures in southern Xinjiang in particular, lagged behind in social economic development as one of the poverty-stricken regions determined by the state. Its natural conditions were worse, economic development was relatively sluggish, the level of market development was low and the development of industrialization and urbanization lagged behind. Besides, the industrial structure contradiction was evident, capacity of employment was very insufficient and some rural labor was unused. Especially in the past period, affected by “the separatist, terrorist and religious extremist forces”, some people excluded modern scientific knowledge and refused to learn vocational skills, which resulted in low cultural level, insufficient vocational capacities, difficulties in income increase and poverty alleviation. Consequently, it’s difficult for them to integrate into the modern society and live a civilized life. Faced with such a predicament, if the government does not help and support, people of all ethnic groups will not have the employability they deserve, there will be no full employment opportunities, no broad employment arena, and the right to work will not be fully realized. As these supportive measures are a trend and can not wait, is it all right not to do so?
Secondly, as the government in Xinjiang assists people of all ethnic groups to work and be employed, is it a forced or voluntary act? Xinjiang takes respecting workers’ wishes as an important basis for formulating work and employment policies and ensures that workers of all ethnic groups work and live independently, voluntarily and comfortably. On the one hand, the wishes of people of all ethnic groups to work are fully understood. On the other hand, employers are widely contacted and people of all ethnic groups are provided with sufficient employment information to enable them to find satisfying jobs. Now some people in the United States and several western countries wantonly attack Xinjiang’s labor transfer policy. However, they are one-sided and without full knowledge of facts. Why is labor transfer policy implemented? As China’s development suffers from unbalanced and insufficient contradictions,economically developed provinces and cities have richer industries, better chances of employment and higher pay. People know to work where they can make more money. In response, the local government provides people with assistance so that they are able to find jobs and have stable income in economically developed provinces and cities. Such supportive policies are in line with China’s national conditions, Xinjiang’s real situations and honor workers’ wishes. Is there anything wrong with it?
Thirdly, is it in line with the international conventions or against them that the government in Xinjiang assists people of all ethnic groups to find jobs? Xinjiang actively follows international labor standards and strictly implements the provisions of national laws and policies to guarantee that workers of all ethnic groups work in free, equal, safe and dignified conditions, so that they truly enjoy the right to choose their occupations voluntarily, without discrimination based on ethnicity, region, gender, or religious beliefs, and without restrictions based on urban or rural areas, industry, or status. Xinjiang has kept on improving workers’ working environment and conditions to guarantee that workers of all ethnic groups work in safety and security. Xinjiang pays close attention to humanistic care and actively guides enterprises to cultivate healthy corporate culture so that every drop of sweat and every effort of the workers are respected, their values are recognized and rewarded. These supportive policies ensure that workers of all ethnic groups work decently in the sun. Do they contradict the spirit of the international conventions?
Fourthly, the government in Xinjiang assists people of all ethnic groups to work and be employed. Is it a life-enhancing measure or life-destroying act? With the in-depth implementation of a series of preferential employment policies, the goal that “each household has access to job opportunities, each person has work to do, and each month goes with an income” has been basically achieved. Dramatic changes have taken place in production, life and spiritual outlook of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, southern Xinjiang in particular. People’s “money bags” are getting heavier, their life is getting more prosperous, they are feeling more comfortable, and their smiles are getting brighter. According to incomplete statistics, the annual income of workers from Xinjiang who are engaged in labor transfer by working in other parts of the country amounts to RMB 40,000 ($6,284) per capita, which is basically equivalent to the per capita disposable income of local permanent residents. People who work in Xinjiang for labor transfer make an annual income of RMB30,000 ($4,713) per capita, which is much higher than that of farming at home. Many families have built new houses, bought cars and various kinds of household appliances, living a life they never thought possible in the past. These supportive policies have been much welcome and embraced by people of all ethnic groups. Why do some people in the West turn a blind eye to these?
Now, may we advise some politicians in the United States not to hold those so-called “hearings” behind closed doors, with their eyes and ears covered. If you really want to hold hearings, please listen to what the 25 million people in Xinjiang say and look how the social economic development in Xinjiang is. Stop playing tricks to deceive yourself and others. Now let’s give the floor to scholars, experts and people in the grassroots in Xinjiang.
Xu Guixiang: The United States sanctions China’s enterprises by means of its domestic law. “Long-arm jurisdiction” as such is utterly unjustifiable. Now let’s invite professor Wang Jiang from Institute of China’s Borderland Studies of Zhejiang Normal University to share with us his views on the United States’ “long-arm jurisdiction”.
Wang Jiang: For some time, the United States has wantonly attacked Xinjiang’s measures against terrorism and extremism by smearing that there are so-called “human rights violations”, “large-scale forced labor” , “genocide”in Xinjiang.
Based on such “stigmas” on Xinjiang, the United States abuses “long-arm jurisdiction” through legislation,executive orders, sanctions and export controls for the sinister intention of making the so-called “Xinjiang issue” a bargain chip in the US-China relations. Take the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act that took effect in December 2021 as an example. It presumes, “All products produced in Xinjiang use ‘forced labor’”. It is undeniable that this evil law is based on false assumptions and evidence because its legislative process is highly politicized and interest-group driven.It poses serious implications for global industrial chains in sectors such as cotton textiles and photovoltaics, is not conducive to human rights protection and damages the US-China relations.
Originally used in civil litigation, the concept of “long-arm jurisdiction” is extended to state-to-state law in the United States. However, when it’s applied to the scope of international affairs by the United States, it has become a means to facilitate its unilateral sanctions, impose “jurisdiction” on other countries in accordance with its domestic law and interfere with the internal affairs of other countries by manipulating its military, economic and financial strengths.
The United States has imposed unilateral sanctions on institutions, enterprises and personnel of other countries through its domestic law for many a time with unfounded reasons and shown its consistent hegemonic mindset. According to related statistics and data, unilateral sanctions of the United States reached their peak during the Trump administration. From 2017 to the end of 2020, over 3,900 sanctions were imposed, which was equivalent of wielding the “sanction stick” three times a day. Since the Biden administration took office, the abuse of “long-arm jurisdiction” to impose sanctions has not changed.
No matter how the United States suppresses entities and personnel in China for whatever reason, it is a serious violation to the fundamental guidelines of the international relations, serious interference with China’s internal affairs and imposition of obstacles on the US-China relations at a sensitive time. From the international perspective,the US conduct of imposing sanction through “long-arm jurisdiction”is a serious violation to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and poses destructive implications to the existing international legal system and international order.
It is known to all that sovereign equality is a fundamental practice of international relations and a basic principle of international law, as 1, Article 2, Chapter I of the UN Charter clearly explains. Non-intervention principle is the core concept of sovereign equality. A declaration issued by the UN General Assembly in 1965 clearly proclaimed, “No state has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any state; no state may use or encourage the use of economic, political or any other type of measures to coerce another state in order to obtain from it the subordination of the exercise of its sovereign rights; no state shall organize, assist, foment, finance, incite or tolerate subversive, terrorist, or armed activities directed towards the violent overthrow of the regime of another state.” The Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in Accordance with the Charter of the United Nations issued by the UN General Assembly in 1970 stressed again, “No state or group of states has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other state. Consequently, armed intervention and all other forms of interference or attempted threats against the personality of the State or against its political, economic and cultural elements, are violation to the international law.”The International Court of Justice also reaffirmed the principle of non-intervention as part of international customary law in its relevant jurisprudence in 1986.
Under the current international law system, sanction is applied to very limited situations when international peace and security are under threats and call for appropriate arena and procedure, that is, the UN Security Council to make decision. The imposition of so-called sanctions on other countries without the authorization of the UN Security Council actually constitutes “unilateral coercive measures”, which is not only contrary to the UN Charter, but also violates the principle of non-intervention under the international law. In fact, the series of violations to principles create obstacles to international peace and stability and pose destructive and subversive impact on the existing international order.
To sum up, a series of legislative and unilateral sanctioning measures related to “long-arm jurisdiction” including the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act are the evil consequences that the United States uses Xinjiang related issues to create rumors and trouble. They are essentially political manipulation and economic bullying under the guise of human rights in an attempt to undermine Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability and contain China’s development. The United States exercises “long-arm jurisdiction” in the name of “protecting human rights” for the intention of excluding people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang from the global industrial chain and supply chain. Its self-contradiction and hypocrisy are plain to the eye.
As far as the broader international community is concerned, Xinjiang is not the only victim of the abuse of “long-arm jurisdiction”. What calls for consideration is why individual state or some states join forces to impose unilateral coercive measures on other states based on false information, disregarding procedural justice, and establish “long-arm jurisdiction” laws in an attempt to implement acts that are impermissible under the international law without taking consequences. These states that impose unilateral sanctions deserve condemnation. Such behaviors that pose severe damage to the existing international order deserve the attention and caution of the international community.
Xu Guixiang: Recently, the Unite States has kept on imposing sanctions on and suppressing a series of enterprises in Xinjiang under the pretext of the so-called “forced labor”. Now let’s invite Alida Tuerahmat, chief human resource officer of Ili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. to share her views with us via video link.
Alida Tuerahmat: Hello, everyone! I’m Alida Tuerahmat, chief human resource officer of Ili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co.,Ltd.. The United States makes the false allegation that there’s so-called “forced labor” in our company and issues sanctioning measures. It’s very absurd because it’s not fact at all. There’s no so-called “forced labor” in our company at all.
Ili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. is an export-oriented enterprise, mainly producing gloves and masks and other products, which was officially put into production in 2018. The annual output value of 2021 was RMB 113 million. Gloves produced by our company have passed CE and ISO9001 certifications. CE is the EU unified certification mark which is the passport of products going into the European market.ISO9001 certification is the most important set of standards of the international quality management system. Having passed the above two key quality certifications, our products are qualified to access broader international markets. Our company now has one intellectual property trademark and one patent. The 320 employees in our company are from various parts of the country and of 6 ethnic groups, including Han, Uygur, Kazakh, Hui and Xibe.
Ili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co.,Ltd.is much concerned about its employees and creates a corporate culture atmosphere characterized by warmth. The company signs labor contract with its employees in accordance with China’s related laws and regulations to protect the rights and interests of its employees and itself. We keep on improving the working conditions to create a relaxing and convenient working atmosphere. The company provides its employees with free lunch and commuters to and off work. The level of mechanization of the company is improved and assembly line operation is adopted. Only one employee is needed to manage much equipment. Eight-hour working schedule is carried out and overtime pay is paid in full as required. Employees work happily and live joyfully in the company because their income is secure and they are full of confidence to a better life.
The company does a good job in taking care of employees with difficulties and is fully informed of their family conditions to respond to their needs in a timely manner. Over the past five years, the company has actively assisted employees in difficulties by donating materials and helping repair their houses so that they are free from worries. On important festive occasions such as the Spring Festival, the Corban Festival and the New Year’s Day,the company sends employees bonus, rice, edible oil and holds celebratory activities so that employees feel the warmth of family in the company. The company also actively creates rich cultural atmosphere, sets up employees’ bookstore with over 2,000 various kinds of books so that they can read books in their spare time, enrich their life and widen their scope of knowledge. Meanwhile, the company holds sewing skill contest now and then and selects excellent employees and awards them to encourage employees to keep improving their vocational skills.
I am very happy working here. The quality of my life has improved greatly. During the Spring Festival, I also took my brother to Hainan to travel, so that he could see the sea for the first time, feel the blooming spring flowers in winter in south China and his dream of touring Sanya, Hainan was fulfilled.
That’s all for my introduction. Thank you.
Xu Guixiang: Labor transfer is an important means of employment because of the huge population and limited chances of employment in southern Xinjiang. Now let’s invite associate professor Yan Xueqin of Xinjiang Normal University to introduce to us his survey of and research on the situation of labor transfer in southern Xinjiang via video link.
Yan Xueqin: Hello, everyone. I’m Yan Xueqin of Xinjiang Normal University. From 2020 to 2021, our team conducted a specialized survey on farmers’ work situations in ten counties of three prefectures in southern Xinjiang and interviewed 3,028 Uygur farmers. Today I’d like to introduce the situations from three aspects, namely the current situations of farmers’ labor transfer in southern Xinjiang, the situations of farmers’ labor protection and the role government plays in southern Xinjiang, and the effectiveness of labor transfer policy.
First is the current situations of farmers’ labor transfer in southern Xinjiang. The implementation of farmers’ labor transfer in southern Xinjiang is related to the long-standing deep poverty and man-land conflicts. According to the seventh national population census in 2020, the population of four prefectures in southern Xinjiang was 10.3377 million, accounting for 39.99% of the total population of the region. The percentage of population aged 15-60 in four prefectures reached 62.58%, which shows a younger demographic structure with a larger labor force population of working age. In the meantime, as statistics show, the arable land in four prefectures is scarce, being about 1.6529 million hectare and accounting for 3% of the size of land, including dry land calling for the blessing of climate. In terms of arable land per capita, it is 1.34 mu in Hotan Prefecture and 1.37 mu in Kizlsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture. The prominent contradiction between man and land is the fundamental driving force to promote farmers’ labor transfer in southern Xinjiang.
Second is the situations of farmers’ labor protection and the role government plays in southern Xinjiang. Adapting to local conditions, southern Xinjiang has taken supporting labor transfer as the most important measure and issued various kinds of policies to facilitate farmers to work, such as providing farmers with free vocational skill training and governmental transportation subsistence for work. Award has been granted to employment in some prefectures. In terms of organizational security, the local government establishes targeted poverty alleviation system of “one policy for one household”. Farmers with light family burdens are encouraged to go out to work, and couples who meet the conditions are encouraged to work together, and comprehensive support measures are arranged from departure to arrival at the work site. The doorstep work method is adopted for farmers with heavy family burdens who find it difficult to go out to work. For farmers who can occasionally go out for seasonal work, seasonal labor migration is organized. For farmers’ families who lack labor, public welfare jobs and social security underwriting are used to help them, so that all assistance can be provided. In the process of going out to work, the government as a whole plays the role of a labor resource provider and linker, a labor logistics guarantor and a defender of farmers’ rights and interests.
Third is about the effectiveness of labor transfer policy. In light of the real situations of southern Xinjiang, implementing supporting labor transfer policy is a creative move to provide targeted assistance and support. As the survey shows, the family income of many farmers engaged in labor transfer has increased remarkably and over 95% of the families have household appliances such as TV, refrigerator and washing machine. Among the 3,028 farmers interviewed, 2,227 of them have received assistance of poverty alleviation measures, with a satisfactory rate of 99.1%. By means of labor transfer, people of all ethnic groups are able to go out with their vision widened, self-confidence improved, living standards increased. Their overall development as human being is achieved.
That’s all for my introduction. Thank you!
Xu Guixiang: Now let’s contact Abudureyim Litip, president of Xinjiang Alekud Forestry and Animal Husbandry Science and Technology Co.,Ltd.via video link and invite him to share his start-up story with us.
Abudureyim Litip: Hello, everyone. I’m Abudureyim Litip. I was born in an average farmer’s family and there are 9 children in my family. I’m the eldest and have three brothers and five sisters. My father mainly took care of farming and my mother took care of us. Since childhood, my parents paid close attention to educating us. Although my father was illiterate, he asked me after every exam how I did in the class and whether I worked hard enough. After I received the letter of admission to Minzu University of China, my parents cried with joy and said with emotion that they were finally worth it.
In my childhood, I used to hear my father say, “ We farmers do not have much money. When a son was born, 100 branches of Xinjiang poplars about 20 centimeters long are cut and planted in the fields.As the son grows up to get married, the poplars grow up too. It’s time to sell the poplars for his wedding. When you grow up, you should plant many trees too.” What my father said has been deeply ingrained in my mind.
In 2001, after careful consideration, I decided to plant trees as a way of realizing my value in life. Borrowing RMB 100,000 from my relatives, I contracted more than 164.7 acres of barren hills in Wulapo, Urumqi, started planting trees and thus became a real pioneer. With the help of related supportive policies of the state, we’ve paved roads, built power lines, dug wells and ditches. Gradually the Gobi desert has become green.
In 2004, I registered and set up Xinjiang Alekud Forestry and Animal Husbandry Science and Technology Co.,Ltd.. My company started from scratch and after 10 odd years of hard work, it has become a company with RMB 2.1 billion in assets, including 16,400 acres of artificial ecological forest, 492 acres of special forestry and fruits base and more than 12 million trees of various types. The company has more than 80 regular and migrant employees, of whom 90% are of ethnic minority backgrounds. There are more than 30 professional technicians specialized respectively in forestry, animal husbandry, agriculture, water conservancy and medicinal herb cultivation,etc.. Some of them are graduates from brand name universities and some of them have done scientific research for many years. They are all like me with a “green dream” and want to realize ourselves in this field.
I got married in 1980 and my four kids are all university graduates. They have stable jobs, are married and have their own children. Now I have 8 grandchildren. I have a happy and wonderful family. Some of my younger brothers and sisters are growers, some of them have stable jobs, and some of them start their businesses like me. They’ve all created their happy life with their own hands. My company prepares to build production bases of special dairy goats and sheep. We are ready to develop a series of high value-added products by making full use of high technology, to provide better service to the market and also help more employees to live a better life.
Xu Guixiang: Now, it is cotton planting season in Xinjiang. Let’s invite Mamut Dawut, cotton grower of Yinarik Village, Guleawat Township, Wensu County to introduce related situations via video link.
Mamut Dawut: Hello everyone. I’m Mamut Dawut, a farmer of Wensu County. The place where I am now is my cotton field, which has an area of 492 acres. Isn’t it too broad to see the end of it? It’s spring now and it’s getting warm. We are ready to grow cotton now!
First of all, let me introduce to you several of my treasure. This is the residual film recycling machine, whose major function is to pick up the film of last year. If manual labor is used, it will take more than half a month to handle the field you see now. This is combined seeder. Inside the huge one Beidou navigation satellite system is installed. After I mark the latitude and longitude of the cotton field on the phone, the navigation satellite system will monitor automatic seeding and I can relax for a while.
It is the treasure that has changed my life greatly. In the past, it was a hard work growing cotton because both planting and harvesting around 1.6 acres of cotton took the whole family days of toil. It was unimaginable to plant over a hundred acres of cotton. Now with the help of the treasure, we put over hundreds of acres of cotton fields together and set up cooperative. We are able to make more money, yet we are not as tired as we were in the past. Last year growing cotton alone enabled me to earn nearly RMB 3 million.
I often say that cotton is our flower of prosperity. In November every year when it’s time to harvest cotton, seeing the white cotton field, I am as happy as looking at gold. The cotton pickers line up orderly. Several tons of cotton can be collected with several moves of the cotton pickers, which are much quicker than picking with manual labor. I feel so thrilled. You know, I won’t feel relieved as long as cotton is not picked. It is money!
As planting cotton now is not as exhaustive as it was in the past, I have spare time and energy to do something else. In 2020, Wensu Mufeng Cooperative was set up in our township. I was deeply interested in it and told my family about my plan to do livestock raising. They were very supportive of me. There are 48 cowsheds in the cooperative, of which 10 were built by me. Now I hire 4 workers and raise more than 400 cows. I’m a big livestock breeder in our village.
I feel life is getting more and more promising. In recent years, we have really lived a wonderful life. I’ve bought two cars, a van and an apartment in Wensu County. Old men in the village often say that farmers now do not look like farmers because farming is done by machines, we drive car when going out and we have an apartment in the county. What a great time! I feel it is right. The harder we work, the happier we are. I am convinced that our life will be better and sweeter.
Xu Guixiang: Now let’s invite Miregul Yushan, employee of Xinjiang Zhongtai Haihong Textile Printing and Dyeing Co.,Ltd. to share her story of working hard and living a happy life via video link.
Miregul Yushan: I was born in Baicheng County, Xinjiang and graduated from Xinjiang Teachers’ College. At present, I work at Xinjiang Zhongtai Haihong Textile Printing and Dyeing Co.,Ltd.. Today I will share with you my story of creating a happy life by working.
My father, mother and elder sister are all textile workers. Influenced by them, in October 2020, after graduating from university, I wanted to work at the textile factory and my family supported me. After seeing the recruitment information online, I sent my resume at once. I passed the job interview smoothly and became a member of Xinjiang Zhongtai Haihong Textile Printing and Dyeing Co.,Ltd..
When I started, I had little confidence and was afraid of not doing my job well.The company assigned a master worker to me and she taught me various kinds of operation skills. I became more and more confident with my work and gradually I became a technically competent worker. For more than a year, I have learned much new knowledge and many new skills and my working performance keeps improving. My salary has raised to be RMB 4,200 and I have savings too. I can send some money home to cover family expenses and new TV and washing machine have been bought. As our living standard keeps improving, my family is very happy. My dream is to live a wonderful life with my own efforts. Therefore, in the company, I have kept on learning vocational skills and have become a skillful worker. I want to make more money and buy a car to take my family and friends to tour around.
Our company is a large-scale enterprise of spinning, weaving and dyeing. Its employees are from nearby townships. The company signs labor contract with employees according to regulations and pays medical insurance, endowment insurance, unemployment insurance, insurance against injuries at work, birth insurance and pension for employees and pre-job training is arranged. Employees all feel contented working here. The company takes good care of its employees’ daily life and provides us dormitory, inside which are TV, heater and separate washroom. Comfortable couple’s room is available too. The company has a halal dinning hall which provides stir-fry, rice, noodles and pilaf etc.,which are to our taste.
We work for 8 hours a day and have days off every week. The company has fitness room, billiard room and activity room where we read, paint and doing handicrafts in our spare time. On festive occasions, the company gives us presents. We fully experience the warmth and joy of the big family.
So much for my introduction. Thank you!
Xu Guixiang: With the assistance of the government, many workers of ethnic backgrounds in Xinjiang find satisfying jobs in other parts of the country. Now let’s invite Aynur Eimer of Makit County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang working in Wuhan, Hubei Province to share her story with us via video link.
Aynur Eimer: I’m Aynur Eimer from Makit County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang. Now my sisters and I are working in Wuhan, Hubei Province.
In June 2020, after graduating from Xinjiang Vocational and Technical College, I found my biggest wish was to find a satisfying job. Knowing that an enterprise in Wuhan was recruiting employees in the village, I was very excited because working in the big cities meant favorable income. I told my family my thoughts. At the beginning my mom was worried that I might not be able to take good care of myself working in such a distant place. Later seeing that several young people in the village were going to work in Wuhan together, she was relieved.
After being recruited with success, we came to Wuhan by train. On our way, we were worried whether the conditions of dorm were all right, whether we could get used to the diet, whether it’s tiring to work and whether we would be dismissed for poor performance. After we came to the company, all our worries disappeared. The company arranged very clean and tidy dorm for us and prepared new bedding for us. Taking our dietary habits and customs into full account, the company provides us with food and appliances.
All are fresh to me and full of fun and challenge here. I’ve learned to operate the mechanical equipment, seen prosperity of the international metropolis and made many good friends. Work is hard, for sure. We surely can’t “get paid by sitting there doing nothing”. In my view, it’s not right for young people to be unwilling to work hard and think of enjoyment only. When learning skills, I also learned the standard spoken and written Chinese language. As my abilities improved, I was appointed as the group leader. During my first year at work, I was able to save tens of thousands yuan. I gave my savings to my mom and asked her to buy a new battery powered vehicle and several sheep. Holding the bank card in her hand, my mom was so happy that she kept smiling,saying I was a good child and praising me for my competence and filial piety.
Seeing that I made money by working in Wuhan, young men and women of my age in the village came to ask me whether food was all right, how the lodging was about and whether I got paid on time. I gave them a detailed account of my work and life in Wuhan. After listening to what I said, some of them wanted to come to Wuhan and work with me at once, some told me what they worried about. I told them to have a try first.
In the second year, a group of young people in our village came to Wuhan to work. Same as me, they experienced many a first time in their lives. Some of them stay as I do, become backbones of the company and live a life that is as sweet as honey. Some of them go back to their hometown to get married, take care of their parents and work there. They feel happy to do so too.
This is an account of my life and the story of an ordinary worker. Welcome to my hometown Kashgar in Xinjiang to tour, taste delicacies and appreciate beautiful scenery there.
Xu Guixiang: In Xinjiang, southern Xinjiang in particular, there are many people like Miregul Yushan who leave their hometown, work in other parts of the country to make a living. They have adapted to the local working environment very soon and lived a contented life. This is the effectiveness of labor transfer policy in Xinjiang. How is this kind of labor transfer realized?Now please watch a set of video clips.
After people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang work in other parts of the country through labor transfer, what are the changes in their working and living conditions? Now let’s get informed by watching a set of video clips.
Xu Guixiang: Just now, we’ve introduced related information to you. Now it’s time for questions and answers. Media friends, please ask questions.
Xu Guixiang: First of all, we are informed that Kamalturk Yalkun abroad claims that his father Yalkun Rozi was “sentenced to imprisonment for the crime of participating in editing and publishing Uygur textbook with contents of ethnic separatism and terrorism”. He was very disappointed with China. As far as this case is concerned, we held the Xinjiang-related press conference on April 6, 2021, made public the situations of the “textbook conspiracy”, and introduced the criminal facts of the secessionist criminal group led by Shatar Shawuti. On March 1 this year, we gave detailed introduction to this case again at the Xinjiang-related press conference held in Beijing and clarified related facts.
Today, we invite Mr. Wang Langtao, vice president of the High People’s Court of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to introduce to us again about Yalkun Rozi who is involved in the case of the “textbook conspiracy” and related situations to set things straight.
Photo taken on April 8, 2022 shows Wang Langtao, vice president of the High People’s Court of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region speaks at the 71st Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by XUAR in Beijing. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zheng Zhuo
Wang Langtao: Yalkun Rozi is a resident of Urumqi, Xinjiang. He used to be the editor of the editorial department of Uygur textbook of Xinjiang Education Publishing House.From June 2003 to October 2010, he was editor-in-chief, reviewer, editor, and editor-in-charge of Uygur textbook in 2003 and 2009 respectively.
Since 2002, when editing textbook at the compiling team of Education Department of Xinjiang, Yalkun Rozi took the chance of editing Uygur textbook and selected contents related to ethnic separatism, violence and terror, religious extremism etc.and put them into the 2003 edition and 2009 edition Uygur textbook in an attempt to achieve the purpose of secession.
After review, a total of 84 texts in the textbook have contents of ethnic separatism, violence and terror, religious extremism etc. (41 texts in the 2003 edition and 43 texts in the 2009 edition). Nearly 25 million copies have been published in the region for as long as 13 years. 2.32 million Uygur students and tens of thousands of educators have used the textbook, causing extremely serious harmful consequences.
After trial, the court held that the 2003 edition and 2009 edition of Uygur textbook of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that the defendant Yalkun Rozi participated in compiling spread thoughts of ethnic separatism, terror and violence and religious extremism, violates the Constitution and other national laws and regulations,the relevant provisions of the autonomous region and related regulations on the compiling of textbooks. Such serious violation to law has instilled serious misconceptions in students of the primary and secondary middle schools in Xinjiang, posed terrible influence and affected a generation, even generations of youth and caused greats harm to social stability and national unity. It is of extremely bad nature and has extremely serious consequences.
According to the related stipulations of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Criminal Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China, on March 20,2020, Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court ruled that the defendant Yalkun Rozi was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all his personal property for the crime of secession of the state.In court hearings, all his procedural rights were guaranteed in accordance with the law. After being sentenced, the defendant Yalkun Rozi appealed the decision to a higher court on April 1st, 2020.The High People’s Court of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region ruled to dismiss the appeal and sustain the original judgment on December 22,2020.
Xu Guixiang: Now reporter from Xinhua News Agency please.
Xinhua News Agency: Professor James A. Millward of Georgetown University in the United States claims that authorities in Xinjiang force the Uygur children to go to boarding schools run by the state. Such ideological motive to assimilate ethnic groups that are not Han echoes the punitive practice of confining adults to camps. Do you have any comments on it?
Photo taken on April 8, 2022 shows Elijan Anayat, spokesman of People’s Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region speaks at the 71st Press Conference on Xinjiang-related Issues by XUAR in Beijing. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zheng Zhuo
Elijan Anayat: Confined to stereotypical notion, this professor views Xinjiang’s boarding schools today with the boarding schools in the American history to assimilate the American Indians. It is simply confusing one thing with another and does not hold water at all.
It is known to all that as early as in the 19th century, the United States began assimilating the Indians and ran more than 350 boarding schools for the Indians so as to assimilate the Indian children and youths into the European-American culture. At the boarding schools, the Indian children were forced to give up their native Indian identity and culture and use the European names. They were forbidden to speak their native language and forced to leave their families. According to the research of American Indians Affairs Association, one out of three or four Indian children was forced to leave his or her parents. As many of them were mistreated by foster families and deprived of cultural identification, they suffered from incurable lifelong pain. Some scholars estimate that during the 150 odd years, such assimilation resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 Indian children directly or indirectly.
To run boarding primary and secondary schools in Xinjiang is to facilitate children to go to school.As Xinjiang is a vast region with a scattered population,most children’s homes are distant from schools and it is very costly for parents to send children to school. To solve this problem, as early as in the 1980s, Xinjiang constructed nearly 400 boarding primary and secondary schools. Boarding schools are not unique in Xinjiang. They are available in other parts of China including metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai. The only purpose of running such schools is to make it convenient for children to go to school. The Compulsory Education Law of the People’s Republic of China stipulates, “Where necessary, the people’s government at the county level may set up boarding schools to ensure that school-age children and adolescents who are dwelling in scattered areas receive compulsory education.” We make scientific and rational planning by integrating the development of new form urbanization, implementation of rural revitalization strategy and the changing trends of local school age children as well as factors such as geography, transportation, environment and security etc. in accordance with related requirements. It is up to students and their parents whether students attend boarding schools or not. Students at boarding schools go home every weekend, go to school every Monday morning and go home every Friday afternoon after school. They go home on holidays and during the summer and winter vacations. They are free to ask for leave if anything happens. To make it easier for parents to contact their children, telephones are installed in every dormitory building of the schools to make it convenient for students to call their parents any time. Head teachers’ phone numbers are provided to parents so that they can call when they need to.
Xu Guixiang: Now reporter from Radio France International please.
Radio France International: In May when the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights comes to visit, will the media be invited to participate?If permitted, when will we get the exact information?
Xu Guixiang: It’s informed that China is discussing with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about coming to Xinjiang during her visit to China and making detailed schedule. As for whether the media will be invited to participate, we are not yet particularly clear. I am also waiting for the exact information.
Xu Guixiang: Media friends, do you have any more questions? If not, that’s the end of this press conference. Thank you for your attendance.See you.