The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed at a press conference that Shanghai Cooperation Organization Secretary General Vladimir Norov and diplomats from 20 countries visited Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between March 30 to April 2.
According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, the delegation toured Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, Kashgar, one of the hubs of the ancient Silk Road, and Aksu, an ethnic group area, visiting mosques and other sites of interest. They also viewed an exhibition on the anti-terrorism campaign in Xinjiang. Hua said that China hopes the delegation witnessed Xinjiang’s stability, harmony and economic development.
It is believed a move to counter some clothing manufactures led by H&M which said they would boycott Xinjiang-produced cotton, alleging the Chinese government is forcing Uygurs to labor in the cotton fields.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded that the accusation is complete “slander” and that most of the cotton is harvested by machine. “The ‘forced labor’ story is maliciously made up by anti-China forces who are attempting to tarnish China’s reputation, destroy Xinjiang’s security and stability and repress China’s development,” Hua said at another press conference.
According to Chinese media, the “forced labor” accusation came from a 2020 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) that accused China of forcing Uygurs to labor in factories in eastern China. China has denied the accusation, saying this report is a purposeful distortion of China’s poverty-alleviation campaign in Xinjiang and that ASPI has never provided any evidence to support its accusations.
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