Pompeo's remarks on Uygur women 'another lie,' says Chinese FM spokesperson

BEIJING -- China on Friday rebuked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's remarks on Uygur women as completely unfounded, saying those remarks are "another lie fabricated" by him.

"The so-called 'forced sterilization' on Uygur women is completely unfounded," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying in a statement in response to Pompeo's statement.

The Chinese government protects the rights and interests of all ethnic minorities in equal measure, with preferential population policies toward minorities groups including Uygurs, she said.

According to Hua, from 2010 to 2018, the Uygur population in Xinjiang grew from 10.1715 million to 12.7184 million, an increase of 2.5469 million or 25.04 percent, higher than the region's overall growth of 13.99 percent and much higher than the 2 percent of the ethnic Han population.

"These facts and data fully expose Pompeo's lie," said Hua.

She said the Chinese government attaches high importance to protecting women's rights and faithfully implements the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. There has been a notable improvement in women's political status, education level, and health conditions. Women's rights including freedoms of expression and association are safeguarded in accordance with law.

"In direct contrast, the United States has yet to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women," said Hua, adding that women in the United States still face systemic, prevalent and institutional discrimination and threat.

According to her, in the United States, women are 21 times more likely to die by firearm homicide than women in other high-income countries; up to 70 percent of women have experienced physical and or sexual violence from an intimate partner; and nearly a quarter of undergraduate women said they have been the victim of sexual assault or misconduct since entering college.

"Has Pompeo already forgotten the 'Me Too' movement initiated by women in the US three years ago? With regard to genocide, due to the US government's massive expulsion, assimilation and killing policies, the population of native Americans nosedived from five million to 250,000. That is the very definition of genocide. On racism, has Pompeo already forgotten about 'Black Lives Matter'?"

"Facts are facts," said Hua. "The international community will not be fooled by the lies of Pompeo," she said.