Human rights developed, not abused in Xinjiang's employment

China on Thursday released a white paper on employment and labor rights in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, rejecting and debunking the "forced labor" allegation of the United States and Western pseudo-scholars.

Employment is vital to people's wellbeing. A decent job is the aspiration of all. To protect the right to work is to safeguard human rights.

This is especially true of Xinjiang, a vast, underdeveloped border region with a population of 25 million of different ethnic groups and plagued by the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism, and separatism over a long period.

A common and notable increase of residents' sense of gains, happiness, and security in Xinjiang is one of the manifestations of its achievements, thanks to its employment policy and measures in line with international standards. Meanwhile, its deradicalization efforts have sharply enhanced security, with no terrorist cases reported for more than three years.

With its comprehensive and effective protection of labor rights, Xinjiang has done a good job in guaranteeing and developing local people's rights to employment, equality, security, health, and culture, among others.

However, some U.S. politicians including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and forces with an anti-China sentiment have deliberately hyped up non-existent "forced labor" in Xinjiang. Absurdly, the U.S. has recently taken restrictive measures against relevant Chinese companies under the pretext of so-called "forced labor." It is a blatant act of bullying.

It is evident that such an allegation is nothing but another fabricated issue of some biased institutions and individuals to serve their political interests through malicious, orchestrated, systematic smearing, and distorting of Xinjiang.

With deep bias and typical double standards, they judge Xinjiang only in their ill-willed imagination, caring nothing about the wellbeing of people and real human rights progress in Xinjiang. Rather, the accusations show they attempt to deny the people's right to work and a better life.

The latest white paper offers an opportunity for the international community to have an objective understanding of what really happens in the region.

Xinjiang has worked out a new approach to addressing some of the global challenges: protecting human rights while combating terrorism and extremism, and pursuing sustainable development while eliminating poverty.

It is no exaggeration to say that Xinjiang has set an example of practicing international labor and human rights standards in underdeveloped areas with large populations of ethnic minorities.

Falsehoods, like the "forced labor" claim, will never alter the course of development in Xinjiang. Nor will they, by any means, contain China's development course toward great rejuvenation.