A senior anti-terrorism official of China on Wednesday expressed strong indignation over and firm opposition to the U.S. House of Representatives' passing of a Xinjiang-related bill.
The so-called "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019" disregarded facts and made false accusations against the Chinese government's Xinjiang policies, its measures to fight terrorism and maintain stability, and the human rights condition in Xinjiang, said Liu Yuejin, head of China's national anti-terrorism leading group office.
"The bill fully exposes the United States' double standards on counter-terrorism and its intention of interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights," he noted.
For some time, the "East Turkistan" forces at home and abroad planned, organized, and carried out separatist activities and violent terrorist activities in Xinjiang, launching thousands of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, killing large numbers of innocent people and hundreds of police officers, and causing immeasurable property loss.
In the face of these threats, China has taken resolute action to fight terrorism and extremism in accordance with the law, effectively curbing the frequent occurrences of terrorist activities and ensuring the rights to subsistence and development and other basic rights of the people, said Liu, noting that Xinjiang has not witnessed any violent terrorist incidents in the past three years.
The Chinese government has always adhered to a law-based approach in combatting terrorism and insisted in combining fighting terrorism according to law with protecting human rights, according to the official.
"China opposes linking terrorism and extremism with specific countries, ethnic groups or religions. It opposes double standards on fighting terrorism," he said.
The country advocates comprehensive measures to address both the symptoms and the root causes, with the dual purposes of striking at terrorist activities and eliminating grounds for terrorism to breed, Liu said.
China supports more pragmatic international cooperation in the fight against terrorism on the basis of mutual respect and consultation on equal footing.
Liu stressed that the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism are still grim and there is still a long way to go to combat terrorism and extremism.
"Only by abandoning double standards, enhancing political mutual trust, building up strategic consensus and promoting cooperation and exchange can we more effectively curb and combat terrorism and extremism and maintain world peace," Liu said.
