West does not speak for international community

Disregarding the facts, 22 Western countries sent a joint letter to the president of the United Nations Human Rights Council and its high commissioner for human rights recently, making groundless accusations against the anti-terrorism and deradicalization measures that have been employed in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in an attempt to deceive international public opinion and create the illusion that the international community condemns the human rights situation there.

However, their ploy was soon laid bare, as the Geneva-based resident ambassadors of another 50 countries, sent a signed letter to the president of the UN Human Rights Council and its human rights high commissioner, in which they praised China's efforts to counter terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang, and pointed out that terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism have done serious damage to Chinese people of all ethnic groups in the region and trampled on their basic human rights, such as people's rights to life, health and development.

The handful of Western countries, which only account for about one-tenth of the world's population, claim they speak for the international community when misrepresenting the facts in Xinjiang and speaking ill of China. Yet the mainstream international community, including countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas with different religious and cultural backgrounds, speaks positively of the measures to counter terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang.

It is particularly noteworthy there was not a single developing country that signed the letter criticizing China, nor did many Western countries, including some European Union countries. This shows that the international community does not approve of the usual suspects using human rights issues to interfere in China's internal affairs.

China has taken a series of counterterrorism and deradicalization measures in Xinjiang, including setting up vocational education and training centers, which have helped reverse the security situation in Xinjiang and effectively guaranteed the basic human rights of the people of all ethnic groups in the region. In the joint letter, the 50 countries urged Western countries and their officials who have not even visited Xinjiang to stop making groundless accusations against China based on unverified information. That these countries have issued a joint letter in support of China and opposed the unfounded attack on China shows they recognize China's contribution to the global fight against terrorism and extremism.

Based on hearsay and the words of some anti-China elements, some Western countries, non-governmental organizations and media outlets have made malicious accusations against China and smeared the measures taken in Xinjiang to counter terrorism and extremism, and fabricated false stories without regard to the facts.

But the human rights situation in Xinjiang allows for no distortion. That Xinjiang has not seen a single violent terrorist incident in the past three years and the people of all ethnicities in Xinjiang have significantly increased their sense of gain, happiness and security proves the ill-intent of these false accusations.

The Western model is not the only development model, nor the only one that protects human rights. All countries have the right to choose their own political system and development path, and they are firmly opposed to the human rights being used as a tool and double standard to bring shame on other countries and interfere in their internal affairs.

The author is a professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.