On November 18, 2020, the Information Office of the People's Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held the 18th press conference on Xinjiang related issues. The press conference invited the Spokesperson of the Information Office of the People’s Government of XUAR Elijan Anayit, the Deputy Director of the Committee on Ethnic, Religious, Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Iqbal Idal, the Deputy Director of the Education Department of XUAR Halat, the Director of the Health Commission of XUAR Mutalif Roz,to answer questions from the press.
Host of press conference: Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Xinjiang Committee Xu Guixiang
Xu Guixiang: Dear friends from the media, good afternoon. Welcome to the press conference on Xinjiang-related issues.
Today, we are very happy to have the Spokesperson of the Information Office of the People’s Government of XUAR Elijan Anayit, the Deputy Director of the Committee on Ethnic, Religious, Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Iqbal Idal, the Deputy Director of the Education Department of XUAR Halat, the Director of the Health Commission of XUAR Mutalif Roz to be present at the press conference. We would like to invite them to answer questions from you.
Also, we are very happy to have reporters from 3 foreign media to be present, namely the Bloomberg News of the US, the Tokyo Broadcasting System of Japan and the Antaranews of Indonesia, who will interact with us through video connections.
To show our welcome, we first invite friends from foreign media to ask questions.
Bloomberg News of the US: Empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that thousands of mosques, shrines and other religious shrines in the region have been either destroyed or permanently closed. Can you provide data over time to show the evolution of the number of mosques in the Xinjiang? In the case of a decline, what’s the reason for the decline? If the number has gone up, what does that suggest about the position and role of Islam in Xinjiang today?
Xu Guixiang: This question goes to the Spokesperson of Information Office of the People’s Government of XUAR Elijan Anayit.
Elijan Anayit: The so-called "thousands of mosques and other religious sites in Xinjiang have been destroyed or permanently closed down" is completely untrue.
Xinjiang has always been a region where certain religions coexist. Mosques, churches, temples, Taoist temples and other religious sites are distributed throughout Xinjiang. Xinjiang has never "destroyed" or "forcibly demolished" religious sites. Instead, we have taken a series of measures to protect them. For example, 109 religious and cultural relics, such as Kashgar Aitigar Mosque and Zhaosu Shengyou Temple, have been listed as cultural relics protection units at or above the autonomous region level. The central government has also allocated special funds to renovate Kashgar Aitigar Mosque, Yining Jiefang South Road Mosque, Hotan Jiaman Mosque, Urumqi Westernization Mosque and other religious sites listed as national and Xinjiang cultural relics protection units. These religious sites are still in normal use and have never been closed down, let alone destroyed. If you are interested, you can visit them on the spot.
The details of Xinjiang mosques have been described in certain white books issued by the Press Office of the State Council of China. It is stressed that most of the mosques in Xinjiang were built in the 1980s-1990s or even earlier. These mosques were originally Adobe houses, or extremely narrow, or dilapidated houses, and cannot support religious activities normally in the event of wind and rain; and even much threaten personal safety of Muslim people in the event of earthquake. In addition, certain mosques were poorly laid out, which is not conducive for Muslim people to carry out religious activities. In recent years, with the acceleration of urbanization and the construction of new countryside, with response to the appeals and applications of local Muslims, in combination with the transformation of urban shantytowns, the construction of beautiful villages and the relocation of poverty-alleviation sites, in accordance with urban and rural construction planning, by construction, reconstruction and expansion, certain local governments have treated the dangerous houses in mosques well, thus making the mosque buildings safer and better arranged and the believers rather satisfied. At present, the mosques in Xinjiang can fully meet the needs of religious believers.
All religions have same status in China. We treat all religions equally rather than prefer or discriminate a religion, and no religion is superior to other religions. We have always insisted on the adaptation of religions to the socialist society, which is not only the requirement of China's national conditions, but also the internal demand of religious survival and development. In fact, all religions including Islam in Xinjiang have played a positive role in promoting economic development and social stability, which is also an important reason for their healthy inheritance and development.
Bloomberg News of the US：Can you provide figures on the evolution of the number of people that have passed through the region’s vocational centers for each year: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.
Elijan Anayit: In view of the frequent violent and terrorist activities in Xinjiang, we have set up vocational techniques education and training center pursuant to law for vocational techniques education and training and the number of the trainees is dynamic. On December 9, 2019, the press conference on the stable development of Xinjiang announced that all the trainees for “national universal languages and words, legal knowledge, vocational techniques and de-extremity” (NLVD) have completed study, gained stable jobs and enjoyed normal lives.
Xu Guixiang: Thank you for your answer, Elijan Anayit. Please go ahead to raise questions, media friends.
Tokyo Broadcasting System of Japan：Thank you, the host.What is China's comment on the previous proposal of EU officials that they hoped to conduct an independent investigation into Xinjiang?
Xu Guixiang: This question goes to the Spokesperson of Information Office of the People’s Government of XUAR Elijan Anayit.
Elijan Anayit: Xinjiang is an open area. Since 2018, we have allowed more than 1,000 persons from over 70 delegations and 100 countries to visit Xinjiang, including UN officials, foreign envoys in China, permanent representatives of relevant countries in Geneva, media reporters and religious groups, and all of them had a good impression of Xinjiang. We also welcome friends from all over the world, including the EU members, to visit Xinjiang and learn about the real situation on the spot to avoid being blinded by hearsay and lies. It is stressed that we are opposed to any investigation based on the presumption of guilt and against anyone looking at Xinjiang with colored glasses.
Xu Guixiang: Thank you for your answer, Elijan Anayit. Please go ahead to raise questions.
Antaranews of Indonesia: Thank you,host,I’m from the Antaranews of Indonesia.I have three questions to ask.
How about the recent epidemic situation in Xinjiang, especially in Kashgar?
How many trainees have been graduated? Do they support the local industries?
Will the government allow Xinjiang Muslims to make pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia next year?
Xu Guixiang: The first questions you asked is about epidemic situation，goes to the Director of the Health Commission of XUAR Mutalif Roz,the other two goes to the Spokesperson of Information Office of the People’s Government of XUAR Elijan Anayit.
Mutalif Roz：Since the outbreak of the virus, as required by the general guidance: fight the virus with concerted efforts and rock-solid conviction through scientific prevention and control and targeted countermeasures, we have been taking resolute actions with firm confidence and a strong will to press ahead with virus prevention and control on all fronts. We have set outworking groups andexpert teamsat first time leaving for Kashgar to guide the work in disease prevention and control. The Kashgar Prefecture started the first level response to guarantee life security and physical health of people of all ethnic groups.
To conduct COVID-19 epidemiological investigation. We wasted no time teaming up provincial-municipal-district(county) three-tier epidemiological task forces, under the guidance of national expert group, to investigate on the origins of the virus in depth with all-out efforts, swiftly cutting off possible channels of transmission and screening close contacts and putting them under medical observation in dedicated facilities, thus providing strong support to science-based precise control over the virus.
To guarantee people of all ethnic groups’ safety, health and normal life, Xinjiang makes utmost efforts to ensure the implementation of “early detection, reporting, quarantine and treatment of cases”, offering free nucleic acid testing in Kashgar Prefecture at the beginning, and conducting the tests over and over again to key groups and key areas in order to detect the virus in the first place, which wins time for early treatment and early recovery as well as prevention of virus spreading.
Since the outbreak of the virus, National Health Commissionset out joint expert teams comprising experienced experts assisting Xinjiang, the Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquaters in Xinjiang conducted their task according to the principle of “early intervention, diagnosis and treatment”, and followed by a unified approach: patients are hospitalized for best possible treatment, which is person specific, at designated hospitals where medical experts and resources are assembled. According to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for COVID-19 (Edition 8) issued by National Health Commission of PRC and the features of the virus, traditional Chinese medicine is equally incorporated to improve the cure rate.According to related policy, all expenses incurred during hospitalization of confirmed cases and asymptomatic patients are free of charge. Between 00:00 Oct.24 to 24:00 Nov.17, a total of 70 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospital, and 286 asymptomatic dismissed from medical observation.
To guarantee supply of essential items. Strictly implement the systems of holding officials accountable for grain and daily food supplies, ramping up production and supply of vegetables, fruit, meet, egg, dairy products, grains and other daily essentials; ensuring supply of water, electricity, petrol and natural gas; and guarantee transport channels smooth and undisrupted, making sure that markets are adequately supplied and prices stay stable. Coordinate COVID-19 prevention and control with serving the people, particularly those under home quarantine and the old, sick, ill and disabled, solving their difficulties in daily life and ensuring all people live normal and orderly lives.
Implementation of normalized prevention and control measures. We have implemented monitoring and early warning mechanism, standardized management on fever clinic, and prioritize screening and disinfection of key places to eliminate the risks of virus transmission and spreading. We have strengthened tests for port sanitary inspection/quarantine, cold chain logistics and imported frozen and fresh food, meanwhile carrying out high quality disinfection over transportation and logistics. New-era patriotic health campaign is ongoing with the conduction of environmental hygiene remediation.
From Nov. 8 to now, there’s no new confirmed cases and asymptomatic patients in Xinjiang. Up to 24:00 Nov. 17, there are eight confirmed cases, all in Kashgar Prefecture; and 66 cases of asymptomatic patients.
Xu Guixiang: Thank you for your answer, Mutalif Roz,the other two goes to the Spokesperson of Information Office of the People’s Government of XUAR Elijan Anayit.
Elijan Anayit: As I just said, all trainees of NLVD have completed their studies. They have completed the training courses of clothing, shoes and hats processing, food processing, electronic product assembly, typesetting and printing, beauty and hairdressing, e-commerce, automobile maintenance, architectural decoration, animal husbandry, fruit tree cultivation, health massage, domestic service, handicraft production, flower arrangement, carpet weaving, painting, musical instrument performance and dance performance as per their wishes and interests, and mastered 1-2 vocational techniques proficiently. After graduation, some of them were employed by factories or enterprises and some of them started business themselves, playing a positive role in the development of local related industries.
According to the common practice of the international community, Chinese Government implements the pilgrimage policies as planned and organized. From 1996 to 2019, the Islamic Association of China has organized more than 50,000 Xinjiang Muslims to take charter flights arranged by the government to Mecca, Saudi Arabia for a pilgrimage with medical treatment, translation and other services from the government. Influenced by COVID-19, the Islamic Association of China has suspended the pilgrimage 2020 from Chinese Muslim Community. Whether Muslims is organized for pilgrimage to Mecca next year is up to the Islamic Association of China. Next year, we will do a good job related to the pilgrimage according to the organization of the Islamic Association of China if conditions permit.