A Uygur family in Yuli county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, April 15, 2021. (Photo/Xinhua)
The United States is in no position to point fingers at other countries' human rights issues, the Foreign Ministry said, urging Washington to make more efforts to address its own problems.
"No matter how stubborn the U.S. is or how hard it tries to hype up lies about the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, their political attempt to contain China with Xinjiang issues is bound to fail," ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
He made the remarks after the U.S. State Department, in a report to Congress on Monday, cited China as one of six places in the world that it says are witnessing or are at risk of atrocities and crimes against humanity.
The latest move came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed in January the previous administration's declaration that China was committing "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" against Uygurs in Xinjiang.
Describing the accusation as "the biggest lie of the century", Zhao said the report enabled the Chinese people to see clearly the nature of the U.S. government, and therefore the credibility of the current administration in the mind of the Chinese people is damaged and its image has collapsed.
The spokesman said it is absurd that the U.S. administration claims to defend and protect human rights around the world while the nation's own record is deplorable, both in history and at present.
"Some people in the U.S. seek to examine and prescribe for others while they themselves are sick. According to such absurd logic, the report is just a piece of wastepaper," he said.
In response to reports that the U.S. will update a warning that the former administration issued on Xinjiang last year, Zhao said the warning is "typical political manipulation and double standards" by Washington.
He also said Beijing is opposed to Washington's interference in China's domestic affairs using Hong Kong-related issues as an excuse, as the U.S. government is reportedly set to warn companies this week of increasing risks of operating in Hong Kong.
The rights and interests of foreign investors are clearly protected by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and relevant laws, Zhao said.
