Liu pointed out that Xinjiang is important to China’s core interests. Since the 1990s, several thousand terrorist attacks have occurred in Xinjiang, causing huge losses of life and property. The Chinese government have taken a series of measures in accordance with the law, including establishing an education center, which has greatly safeguarded the basic human rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

 

“Trainees voluntarily receive de-radicalization education and vocational training with their personal freedom, ethnic customs, freedom of religious belief, and medical treatment fully guaranteed,” Liu said. “At present, all the trainees have graduated and got steady employment with the help of the government.”

 

Xinjiang has not suffered a single terrorist attack for the past 36 months. Last year, Xinjiang received more than 200 million tourists, and its GDP increased by 6.2%. Besides, absolute poverty will be eliminated by 2020. China welcomes a visit from the UN Human Rights Commissioner to Xinjiang to establish the facts on the ground, Liu added.

 

“Some countries and forces are slandering and undermining China under the pretext of human rights. When China takes counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures in accordance with the law, they say we are violating human rights, while the same measures are considered legal in their own countries. When the Chinese government invites them to visit Xinjiang, they refuse the invitation for various reasons; when more than 70 countries in United Nations have explicitly supported China ’s Xinjiang policy, they claim that this is only due to pressure from China,” Liu said. 

 

There is no universal standard for human rights protection, and modernization does not mean westernization. Protecting human rights must be in line with national conditions. At present, nearly 1.4 billion people in China are living a happy life, and this is the largest project for human rights protection, said Liu.