Germany’s Volkswagen refutes rumors of Urumqi plant withdrawal
Foreign Minister Wang Yi: “Some political forces are spreading false information.”
While European companies, including Volkswagen, are considering withdrawing from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region due to human rights issues, Wang Yi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Political Bureau and Foreign Minister, strongly opposed the claim, saying, “The claim of ‘genocide’ is a blatant lie.”
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 19th, in a keynote speech at the China session of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on the 17th (local time), Director Wang said, “Some political forces have spread too many rumors and created a lot of false information about Xinjiang,” and “the so-called. “The ‘genocide’ is a blatant lie,” he said.
Director Wang said, “Since the creation of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, the Uyghur population has increased from 3 million to over 12 million. “The average life expectancy of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang increased from 30 to 75.6 that year,” he said. “Isn’t this the best example of human rights protection?”
“Freedom of religion and belief is well guaranteed for each ethnic group,” he said. “Government documents and store signs are all in two languages, and the languages and cultures of various ethnic groups, including the Uyghurs, are protected and inherited.” .
Regarding the suspicion of ‘forced labor’, he protested, saying, “If you want to cover up the crime, don’t you worry about not being able to speak up?” and “Don’t Uyghurs have the right to work or freedom of employment?”
Director Wang said, “What kind of humanitarianism and human rights protection is it to force people to be unemployed under the pretext of forced labor and to prevent them from selling the products they make?” and added, “I hope you go to Xinjiang and see what is true and what is false.”
It is understood that Director Wang took the opportunity of his visit to Europe to strongly refute the issue amid growing concerns about supply chain disruption due to the suspicions that have been raised regarding human rights issues in China.
The United States and human rights groups have voiced concerns, raising the possibility of human rights abuses at automobile assembly plants in the Xinjiang Uyghur region. In relation to this, it has recently been reported that German automobile company Volkswagen Group and chemical company BASF are considering or are in the process of withdrawing from the region.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.