BEIJING, September 26. /TASS/. The United States expresses concern over the observance of Muslims' rights in China and at the same time contributes to the mass death of adherents of Islam, provoking and fueling wars in the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
"At the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting held in Geneva on September 24, the US and a small group of other countries used the issue concerning Xinjiang to attack and discredit the situation with human rights in China," he said at high-level meetings with several foreign ministers in New York.
"This begs the question: why the US, which cares so much about human rights of Muslims, continues to provoking or supporting wars in the regions like the Middle East, which results in an appalling number of victims and casualties among innocent adherents of Islam?" he said.
By doing so, the United States has "once again shown the world what double standards are," the Chinese foreign minister added. "Why does the US turn a blind eye to historical injustices against Arab nations and rejects Palestine's full membership in the UN? Why are they not playing their proper role in bringing about a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the complete withdrawal of [Israeli] troops from there?" Wang Yi continued.
The Chinese diplomat recalled the widespread support Beijing gets from Muslim states and added that the "political manipulations" Washington and some of its allies carry out to achieve "curtailment of human rights" in China are "becoming increasingly unpopular." The minister noted that many Islamic states have already "discerned the tricks of the US, which is trying to interfere in the internal affairs of China and developing countries under the pretext of human rights protection."
"Historical examples of Western powers violating human rights in China are still not a part of remote past. They have no right to lecture our country from above," Wang Yi emphasized. "The [Western] smear campaign will not be successful. We are ready for equal work with other nations on issues concerning human rights. Our doors are open to the world, and we invite friends from all countries to visit China."
The United States accuses Chinese authorities of human rights abuses and genocide of Muslim Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region. On December 23, 2021, the United States enacted a law that imposes restrictions on imports of goods from this northwestern region of China, as well as sanctions on individuals and entities Washington claims responsible for allegedly identified cases of "forced labor."