Separatism against historical facts

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the government of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is making great efforts to develop the economy and improve people’s livelihoods. But the spread of terrorism and religious extremism seriously jeopardizes Xinjiang’s social stability, and they pose a threat to people and society.

For a long time terrorist and extremist forces have distorted, falsified and fabricated Xinjiang’s history to incite national misunderstanding and hatred, which seriously endangers Xinjiang’s social stability and violates people's basic human rights.

The fight against terrorism and extremism is a worldwide issue. Under the leadership of the CPC, Xinjiang has made great progress in its efforts to counter and curb terrorism and extremism.

And with terrorism and extremism effectively curbed in Xinjiang, people’s lives and sense of security in the region have remarkably improved. No violent terrorist incident has taken place in Xinjiang over the past two years.

In 2018, Xinjiang received more than 150 million domestic and foreign tourists, an increase of 40 percent year-on-year. The total tourist consumption in the region reached 252.2 billion yuan ($37.57 billion) last year, up 41.6 percent year-on-year.

But some Westerners employ a double standard and accuse Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism and anti-extremism measures of being human rights violations. This is arbitrary and groundless. It is of great significance to clarify the legitimacy of Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism and anti-extremism work.

From ancient times to the present Xinjiang has been China’s territory, and Xinjiang has always developed under the unified multiethnic pattern of China. It is indisputable that Xinjiang is an inseparable part of China, and there is no historical basis for separatism.

Throughout its history, Xinjiang has been a multiethnic region, which refutes separatists’ absurd idea that Uygurs are the only “masters” of Xinjiang.

It is the historical fact that the Uygur culture in Xinjiang formed after long-term migration and national fusion rather than descending from Turks, which is a heavy blow to the pan-Turkism of the separatists and religious extremists.

Xinjiang’s multiethnic culture is an inseparable part of Chinese culture. In history, Xinjiang has always been home to various religions, which exposes religious extremists’ lie that Islam is the only faith of the people in Xinjiang.

All these facts demonstrate that terrorism and extremism go against the historical facts and challenge human justice and dignity. The White Paper titled “The Fight Against Terrorism and Extremism and Human Rights Protection in Xinjiang” exposes the true features of terrorism and extremism, and affirms the legitimacy of Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism and anti-extremism campaign in safeguarding human rights.

Zhang Zijian and Xing Guangcheng, human rights scholars at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences