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Updated February 28th, 2022 at 19:03 IST

Chinese FM denies human rights abuses accusations over Xinjiang, Hong Kong

"The improvement of the special administrative region's electoral system is an implementation of the principle of patriots ruling Hong Kong and has enhanced Hong Kong's democratic system," Wang said.

IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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China has once again refuted accusations that it violated human rights in Xinjiang and oppressed freedom in Hong Kong. At the 49th United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on Monday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi delivered a video speech and reiterated China's stance on both the Xinjiang and Hong Kong issues.

Wang said Xinjiang has seen rapid economic growth over the last 60 years, and the population of Uyghurs in the region has increased from 2.2 million to about 12 million. People are living longer lives and for every 530 Muslims, there is one mosque - a rate that Wang said was higher than many western or Muslim countries.

"The so-called genocide, forced labour and religious repression, are lies that are completely fabricated," said Wang.

"The door of Xinjiang is open. We welcome people without prejudice from various countries to visit Xinjiang and have exchanges," he said.

China has said multiple times that it welcomes people from outside of China, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, to visit Xinjiang, a region in the country's far west that has been shrouded by human rights accusations, on the condition that they do not hold any bias. Bachelet and her team have been in talks with the Chinese authorities about visiting Xinjiang, but it remains unclear when the visit will happen.

Wang also said people in Hong Kong, where a series of social unrest put the semi-autonomous city on edge, enjoyed more freedom than when the city was under British rule. "The fact that Hong Kong went from chaos to stability has fully proved that the legislation and implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law has filled the gap in Hong Kong's rule of law and better safeguarded people's rights and freedom," he said.

The pro-democracy movement in the city in 2019 came to an end with the implementation of the sweeping National Security Law in 2020, which largely silenced political dissent. The central government also modified Hong Kong's electoral laws to ensure more pro-Beijing presence in the city's legislative body.

"The improvement of the special administrative region's electoral system is an implementation of the principle of patriots ruling Hong Kong and has enhanced Hong Kong's democratic system," Wang continued.

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Published February 28th, 2022 at 19:03 IST

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