On April 20, The US website Project Syndicate pointed out in an article titled "The Xinjiang Genocide Allegations Are Unjustified" that the US falsely accused China of "genocide" in Xinjiang without any evidence, calling on the US administration to change its behavior and withdraw such unwarranted charge.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily press briefing on Friday that we noted the article published by the US-based Project Syndicate, which is objective and informative. We applaud the relevant media and authors for their righteous voice on Xinjiang-related issues.

"As the article points out, there is little evidence for allegations of so-called "genocide" in Xinjiang and most are based on false reports," said Zhao.

In fact, the Chinese side has repeatedly elaborated on the real situation in Xinjiang. The so-called "genocide" in Xinjiang is the biggest lie of the century deliberately concocted by extreme anti-China forces and a ridiculous farce to smear China, said the spokesperson.

"The real purpose is to undermine stability in Xinjiang and curb China's development under the pretext of human rights. Such conspiracy will not succeed," he added.

Zhao Lijian noted that the article also points out the backdrop of China's Xinjiang-related policy is counterterrorism. The Chinese side has made clear its position on many occasions.

The essence of Xinjiang-related issues is counterterrorism, de-radicalization and anti-separatism. Xinjiang was once a victim of terrorism and religious extremism, which posed a serious threat to people's lives and security, according to Zhao.

"Facing such situation, the Chinese government has resolutely cracked down on all forms of terrorism in accordance with the law and made tremendous efforts and sacrifices. These measures have yielded positive results," Zhao said, "There hasn't been any violent or terrorist case over the past four years or so in Xinjiang. People of all ethnic groups there cherish the hard-won peace and stability they enjoy."

Recently, more and more people in the world have voiced objective and just views on Xinjiang-related issues, Zhao said, for example, the US independent news website The Grayzone published an article exposing the lies about "genocide" in Xinjiang. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post published an article describing China's anti-terrorism efforts and laying bare the West's double standards on this issue. We also read French author Maxime Vivas' book entitled "Uyghurs: To Put an End to Fake News", which fully shows that justice can always prevail and lies cannot cover up the truth.

We believe that there will be more and more fair-minded people in the world telling the truth about Xinjiang and speaking out for justice, said the spokesperson.