The Chinese national flag is seen in Beijing, China, on 29 April 2020. File Photo/Reuters/Thomas Peter
By David Brunnstrom and Andrea Shalal | Reuters
WASHINGTON, DC, 23 October 2020
The deputy White House national security adviser on Friday denounced China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, saying there was no justification for the country maintaining “concentration camps” within its borders.
Matt Pottinger, who has been a leading figure in the development of President Donald Trump’s China policy, made the remark in Mandarin in an online address to the UK-based Policy Exchange think tank.
“There is no credible justification I can find in Chinese philosophy, religion, or moral law for the concentration camps inside your borders,” Pottinger said in his speech, which he said was directed to the Chinese people.
It represented a further ratcheting up of American rhetoric against China in the run-up to the 3 November US presidential election, in which Trump, a Republican, has made a tough approach to China a key foreign policy theme.
Last week, Pottinger’s boss, US national security adviser Robert O’Brien, said China was perpetrating “something close to” genocide with its treatment of Muslims in its Xinjiang region.
Pottinger called on people in China “to research the truth about your government’s policy towards the Uyghur people and other religious minorities.”
He said they should ask themselves why The Economist newspaper had called China’s actions in Xinjiang “a crime against humanity.”
The United States has denounced China’s treatment of Uyghur and other minority Muslims in Xinjiang and imposed sanctions on officials it blames for abuses.
It has not, though, so far termed Beijing’s actions genocide or crimes against humanity, designations that would have significant legal implications and require stronger action against China.
The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang, and activists say crimes against humanity and genocide are taking place there. China has denied any abuses and says its camps in the region provide vocational training and help fight extremism.
Pottinger said there was a growing consensus internationally about the need to take a more assertive stance with Beijing.
He said that in a second term, Trump would continue working to diversify supply chains to avoid excessive reliance on one country – an apparent reference to China’s dominance of critical supplies laid bare at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pottinger spoke after China’s President Xi Jinping delivered a speech on the 70th anniversary of Chinese troops entering the Korean War to fight against US troops, in which he warned that China will never allow its sovereignty, security and development interests to be undermined.
Xi did not directly refer to the present-day United States, with which relations have sunk to their lowest in decades over disputes ranging from trade and technology to human rights and the coronavirus.
Pakistani Sameera – should not forget her recent history – Facts and not propaganda:
The Bangla people of E Pakistan were treated worse than 2nd class citizens by the feudal/zamindar ruling class of W. Pakistan. When things got unbearable they stood up, fought back and were TRULY liberated with help from India. Bangla Desh was born and today she is thriving against all odds partnering with neighbours. Pakistan on the other hand has regressed into being a client state of Communist China and worse…..
No wonder all they know and spout is CCP propaganda.
The Pakistan born Sameer Khan should have exposed the crime the CCP is committing on her Muslim co-religionists in East Turkistan rather than drivel Chinese communist propaganda against Tibet and its leader, the Dalai Lama.
She should be ashamed of herself for being a pawn in the hands of the CCP mafia and spout malign propaganda against the most revered man alive and who is an International icon of peace and religious harmony.
The Dalai Lama has been in the forefront of standing up for the Muslims at a time of great antagonism against Muslims especially after the 9/11 incident. She should hang her head in shame for peddling the racist propaganda of the most evil regime while turning a blind eye to the systematic destruction of Muslim Uyghur culture and religion by the CCP.
SHAME ON YOU SHAMLESS KHAN!
Pakistani girls are kidnapped and sold as sex slaves to China. The investigation into the horrendous abuse and total neglect of 629 Pakistani girls by the Chinese was hushed up under severe pressure from China to Pakistan. These girls are victims of human trafficking and sexual slavery. Why don’t you speak up for them instead?
It shows that you are an immoral attention seeker. You care two hoots about the injustice Muslims in E Turkistan are meted and the abominable human trafficking of innocent Muslim girls from Pakistan to China and instead outsourcing discredited Chinese communist propaganda against the Dalai Lama who is himself a victim of Chinese oppression.
The racist propaganda is a figment of their imagination and a total fabrication. The prove is, after painting the Dalai Lama in such a dark light, they are desperate to install another “Dalai Lama”!!!!
How does this tally with their propaganda? You sold your soul and izzat!!!
Why give much attention to this woman? She’s nobody. The CCP occupied Pakistan is on the verge of breaking up into several small countries and they’re losing it left and right and have nothing to hold onto so trying to do some last minute bidding for their CCP master. She and family must surely be wanting to reap the maximum benefit of doing their masters bidding which they will be very well rewarded for. Better to ignore a non entity like her.