• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
No Result
View All Result
Thursday, April 15, 2021
THE MILLENNIAL SOURCE
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter
TMS
No Result
View All Result
Home WORLD

China denies mistreatment of Uighur Muslims after UK accuses them of human rights abuses

byThe Millennial Source
July 20, 2020
in WORLD
Reading Time: 4 mins read
China denies mistreatment of Uighur Muslims after UK accuses them of human rights abuses

Source: David Gray/Reuters

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Liu Xiaoming, gave an interview with the BBC on Sunday to defend Beijing against accusations by British officials of “gross and egregious” treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.  

In his interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr, Liu stated that “There’s a lot of fake accusations against China.” 

“Uighur people enjoy peaceful, harmonious coexistence with other ethnic groups of people,” he said, denying any targeted mistreatment. 

“We treat every ethnic group as equal,” Liu added. 

Human rights groups and international governments estimate that up to a million ethnic Uighurs (also spelled Uyghurs) and other Muslim minorities have been detained in “re-education camps,” which Beijing officials say are necessary measures to counter terrorism and separatism in the Xinjiang region. 

Confronted with drone footage from last August that appeared to show hundreds of blindfolded and shackled Uighur men being led to trains, Liu said “I do not know where you get this videotape.”

He attempted to explain the video, saying that “sometimes you have a transfer of prisoners, in any country.”

In addition to accusations regarding the unjust detainment of Muslim minorities in internment camps, reports have also come out accusing Chinese authorities of attempting to limit the Uighur population by forcing women to be sterilized or be fitted with contraceptive devices. 

Liu was also shown a video of a Uighur woman saying that she had been forced by the government to undergo a sterilization procedure, which he rejected.

“There’s no, so-called, pervasive, massive, forced sterilization among Uighur women in China,” he said, before adding that “I cannot rule out single cases. For any country, there’s single cases.”

Liu also denied any practice of “ethnic cleansing,” stating that over the last 40 years the Uighur population in Xinjiang has grown from around four million to 11 million. 

However, demographic research which draws from Chinese official data does not show records as far back as 40 years ago, the BBC reported. 

Research conducted by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation suggested that the rate of population growth in the two largest Uighur communities dropped by more than 80% from 2013 to 2018. 

Liu’s interview comes as UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has given interviews criticizing China over human rights abuses perpetrated against Muslim minority populations. 

“It is deeply, deeply troubling and the reports on the human aspect of this – from forced sterilisation to the education camps – are reminiscent of something we have not seen for a very long time,” Raab told the BBC.

“We want a positive relationship with China but we can’t see behaviour like that and not call it out.” 

The UK has been vocal in condemning China over its mistreatment of Uighurs but has stopped short of issuing official countermeasures against the government – as they have done in their responses to Beijing’s national security law in Hong Kong and security concerns over Huawei. 

However, Raab did hint at the possibility of such discussions to deliver targeted responses over this issue.

“It is clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on. We are working with our international partners on this. It is deeply, deeply troubling,” he said. 

While Raab did not state what measures the British government is considering, other countries have previously spoken out against China’s human rights infringements in Xinjiang. 

The United States, a close political ally of the UK, imposed mandatory sanctions last month on Chinese officials deemed to be responsible for the detainment of Uighurs. The US Commerce Department said on Monday that they would add 11 Chinese companies to their growing blacklist of firms involved in using forced labor by Uighurs and other Muslim minorities.

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: AsiaEuropeShort read
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

Foreign companies struggle to balance political influence and profits in China

Foreign companies struggle to balance political influence and profits in China

April 15, 2021
China controls most of the world’s rare earths. How does this affect the future economy?

China controls most of the world’s rare earths. How does this affect the future economy?

April 13, 2021
Study: The US is a breeding ground for a growing diversity of diseases

Study: The US is a breeding ground for a growing diversity of diseases

April 13, 2021

SMIC gives executive 450% salary increase as China fights for semiconductor dominance

April 12, 2021

Credit Suisse is in trouble. Here’s why

April 11, 2021

China has just introduced the digital yuan. What does this mean for the US?

April 9, 2021

China’s Belt and Road push in Afghanistan

April 7, 2021

The semiconductor shortage has created a major global economic problem

April 6, 2021

The importance of vaccinating developing countries, explained

April 5, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.