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Preventive counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation measures taken by China's Xinjiang are making significant progress |01 March 2021

Preventive counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation measures taken by China's Xinjiang are making significant progress

Faithfully implementing the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism and lawfully taking preventive counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation measures, China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region’s economic development and its people’s living standards have continued to improve, while ethnic unity is further consolidated with various religions coexisting in harmony. Xinjiang's security and stability and residents' safety have been effectively protected. There has not been any violent or terrorist case over the past four years or so.

I. Unprecedented achievements in economic and social development have been made and a decisive victory in poverty alleviation has been achieved in Xinjiang

Xinjiang enjoys social stability, with the people living and working in peace and contentment. The region has made unprecedented achievements in economic and social development and improvement of people's livelihood. From 2014 to 2019, the GDP of Xinjiang increased from 919.59 billion yuan to 1.36 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 7.2 percent.

The per capita disposable income in Xinjiang increased by an average annual rate of 9.1 percent. Remarkable achievements have been made in poverty alleviation. All 3.09 million impoverished people in Xinjiang have been lifted out of poverty. The absolute poverty problem in Xinjiang has been resolved historically.

With the continuous economic and social development in Xinjiang, the living conditions of people of all ethnic groups have fundamentally improved, which has promoted the steady improvement of population quality.

II. Alleged “demographic genocide” is totally baseless

In recent years, the Uygur population in Xinjiang has been growing steadily. From 2010 to 2018, the Uygur population in Xinjiang rose from 10.17 million to 12.72 million, an increase of 2.55 million or 25.04 percent.

China protects workers' rights and has made a lot of efforts to provide training opportunities and jobs for people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, so as to encourage, assist and support them in shaking off poverty and living a better life through diligence and hard work. The so-called “demographic genocide” in Xinjiang, which is totally baseless, is a completely false accusation, a lie concocted by some anti-China forces and a staged farce to smear and defile China.

III. No so-called re-education camp in Xinjiang

There are no so-called “re-education camps” in Xinjiang. The vocational and educational training centres set up in Xinjiang in accordance with laws are schools. They are no different from the Desistance and Disengagement Programme (DDP) of the UK, or the de-radicalisation centres in France. They are all active steps to realise preventive counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation goals so as to cut off terrorism and religious extremism at the source.

They are in line with the principles and the spirit embodied in a number of international documents on counter-terrorism, such as the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism.

 

Trainees at the centres all graduated in October last year after participating in education and training programmes of standard spoken and written Chinese, understanding of the law, vocational skills and de-radicalisation.

A number of foreign journalists who have conducted interviews in the education and training centres have published stories that reflect the true role of the centres and express their understanding, approval and support for the education and training programmes in Xinjiang. A report from Turkey's DHA says: “The centres provide human-based management and services for the trainees. There is no maltreatment or restrictions on personal freedom. The trainees are happy to study and live there. What I saw and felt during the visit was very different from the negative propaganda of the US and other Western countries, and I felt their double standards were simply rude and unreasonable.”

In conclusion, practice has proved that vocational education and training in Xinjiang can effectively eradicate the conditions that enable terrorism and religious extremism to breed and spread. It can protect the rights to life, health and development of the various ethnic groups of the region. It ensures social stability in Xinjiang and regional security and stability. The practice conforms to the basic principles of international efforts in countering terrorism and extremism, and accords with the fundamental interests and needs of the peoples all around the world.

Erkin Tuniyaz, vice-chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, pledged that the government will spare no effort to develop Xinjiang into a region that is united, harmonious, prosperous and culturally advanced, with healthy ecosystems and people living and working in contentment, and a region featuring socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Contributed

 

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