SA Ambassador’s Eid greetings to Xinjiang
EID al-Fitr is one of the three major Islamic festivals, celebrated by Muslims of China’s Uyghur, Hui, Kazakh and Kirgiz ethnic minorities. Early in the morning of Eid al-Fitr on April 10 this year, ethnic minority residents in various parts of Xinjiang came to local mosques for prayer services.
After the services, people visited friends and relatives, enjoyed group meals, or gathered in squares to sing and dance, having quality time with family members. On that day, the government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held an exchange event with foreign diplomats in Beijing.
During his speech, Siyabonga Cwele, Ambassador of South Africa to China, sent his wishes to the people of Xinjiang and reviewed his visit to Xinjiang in 2023. The ambassador noted that Xinjiang has eradicated absolute poverty, allowing its people to fully enjoy religious freedom and coexist harmoniously amid diversity. Great efforts have also been made to promote rural revitalisation and engage in infrastructure development, which advances regional prosperity and growth. In his interaction with the local youth, the ambassador was deeply impressed by how confident and proud they were about the future.
He stressed that once entering Xinjiang, one can immediately discover truth among the Western world’s conflicting claims about Xinjiang.
Xinjiang has been part of China’s territory since ancient times. It is now China’s largest autonomous region with the biggest number of ethnic groups.
The Chinese government has always valued the stability and development of the region, and has safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of the people in Xinjiang in such areas as religious belief, ethnic culture, language, writing, employment and labour.
Since the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been concerned about the reform, development and stability of Xinjiang and the well-being of the people there, and has successfully promoted all-round progress and historic achievements in various sectors in Xinjiang. At present, people in Xinjiang fully enjoy religious freedom and their traditional cultures are adequately safeguarded.
Unprecedented achievements have been made in various fields. Starting from the 21st century, the Uyghur population has continued to grow, from 8.35 million in 2000 to 11.62 million in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 1.67% , much higher than the national average of 0.83% for ethnic minorities. In 2022, Xinjiang’s per capita GDP reached 68552 yuan (R179m) and more than 70% of government spending was used to safeguard and improve people’s livelihoods.
It’s fair to say that China’s policy of governing Xinjiang is deeply rooted in people’s hearts, and its achievements are obvious to all.
“The Western world’s conflicting views about Xinjiang” mentioned by Ambassador Cwele is about how a handful of countries have long slandered China’s domestic affairs by fabricating and spreading rumours about Xinjiang. It’s about how international anti-Chinese and separatist forces have smeared and defamed Xinjiang in an effort to curb China’s development.
The absurd assertion of “concentration camps,” “forced labour,” and “genocide” in Xinjiang based on lies and misinformation from certain anti-Chinese forces is the most absurd lie of the century.
In recent years, some 2000 government officials, religious figures and journalists from over 100 countries and international organisations, including South Africa, have visited Xinjiang and highly appreciated social stability and prosperity there.
Nearly 100 countries, including a large number of Muslim countries, have openly endorsed China’s policy of governing Xinjiang on successive occasions such as the UN Human Rights Council and the Third Committee of the General Assembly, opposing interference in China’s internal affairs under the guise of human rights.
It has been proved that lies cannot conceal the truth, and justice lies in the hearts of the people.
Under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa, China-South Africa relations have entered a “golden age”. The two countries have continued to deepen their political mutual trust, and firmly supported each other on issues of core interests and major concerns.