Editor's note: The following article is taken from the Chinese-language "Commentaries on International Affairs." The article does not necessarily reflect the views of CGTN.

China's government has expressed its firm opposition to the passage of a Xinjiang-related bill through the U.S. House of Representatives on December 3. Beijing says the bill deliberately distorts the human rights situation in Xinjiang, slanders China's de-radicalization and counter-terrorism efforts, and viciously attacks the Chinese government's Xinjiang policy.

Over the past year or so, some Washington politicians, such as Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, and Marco Rubio, have repeatedly spread falsehoods about Xinjiang. By doing so, they have revealed their political prejudices and their intention to constrain China's development under the disguise of human rights.

Issues related to Xinjiang are purely China's domestic affairs, and the issues facing the region have nothing to do with a lack of human, ethnic, or religious rights. Rather, the twin challenges facing the region are terrorism and separatism.

Over the past few years, the Chinese government has introduced a raft of measures to stop terrorism and radicalization in Xinjiang. The region is a key battlefield in the fight against terrorism, a threat faced by many nations, including major Western countries.

The Chinese government is determined to eradicate the breeding ground for terrorism by creating a stable environment for social and economic development and protecting the rights to life and development of all the people in the region.

So far, its endeavors have proved to be effective. Xinjiang hasn't seen a single terrorist attack over the past three years. Since late last year, over a thousand representatives have visited Xinjiang in more than 70 groups, including officials from various countries, regions, and international organizations, and people from the media, religious groups, and academic circles.

They have praised the counter-terrorism and de-radicalization work being done in the region, saying it is worth learning from. The Chinese government's counter-terrorism policies have also been generally endorsed by the 25 million people in the region.

What Xinjiang has achieved in its economic, social, and cultural development cannot be written off by American smear campaigns. Washington needs to stop its interference in Xinjiang by dropping its bill before it passes the Senate. Moves to push the bill further along in the legislative process will trigger countermeasures from Beijing and further sour the already dampened bilateral relations.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)