Zhao Lijian

So-called claims of China “oppressing Muslims in Xinjiang” is a farce made by anti-China forces, who are using the fake and sensational topics to attack and slander China, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry told a press briefing on Friday.

Asked by fresh claims by German “scholar” Adrian Zene, Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson said that Zene is an anti-China hatchet man hired by the US and that international should be able to tell the truths from lies and won’t be fooled by “these liars.”

Zenz, who has fabricated many reports on China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region, said on Twitter that from 2015 to 2020, 2,000 children in Xinjiang have been taken away from their parents, asserting that the local government was separating Uygur children from their parents.

“Adrian Zenz is an infamous anti-China hatchet man hired by the US, and we hope and believe the international community can distinguish right from wrong, and not be fooled by them,” Zhao said.

Zhao also noted that the organization that Zenz works for, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, is a far-right organization, which, since its establishment in 1983, has made anti-China remarks to smear China’s policies in its Xinjiang region in complete disregard for the facts. The reports it released are nothing more than an anti-China farce that has been repeatedly staged.

In response to a separate question about the Economist magazine’s accusing China of “crimes against humanity” in its Xinjiang policies, Zhao said that these are sensational topics made by anti-China forces in an attempt to attack and contain China. “They are farces that smear China,” Zhao said.

Xinjiang affairs are China’s domestic affairs, and any attempt to use Xinjiang affairs to interfere in China’s internal affairs is doomed to fail, Zhao said, adding that Xinjiang affairs are not issues on human rights, ethnic groups or religion; they are anti-terrorism and anti-separatism issues.

Zhao noted that China has taken many measures that have stopped terrorists and guaranteed the safety of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, adding that 48 countries have made a joint statement supporting China’s policies in Xinjiang, and opposed double standard and politicizing of human rights issues.