Uygur residents in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have refuted accusations of the so-called "genocide" against Muslim minorities there, saying such claims dampen the lives they are living now and aim to hamper the region's peace and stability.
Western countries have been accusing China of "genocide" or "forced sterilization of Uygur women" in Xinjiang, but locals from the region said such accusations are nonsense.
Residents from Kashgar, Hotan and Aksu have shared their family stories at a press conference in the region's capital Urumqi.
One of them said he is from a big family with four generations under one roof, and his grandmother just celebrated her 100th birthday.
"I heard some foreign media said there's genocide against Uygurs in Xinjiang. This sounds almost ridiculous to me," said Abdukadir Mamat.
"My grandmother is 100 years old now. She has only one child and that's my mother. My mother has three children. I'm the eldest son and my younger brothers are twins. They are both 18 years old now. I got married in 2006, and now I have a son and two daughters," said Abdukadir.
Emin, 2nd L, a resident of Uygur ethnic group, chats with his neighbors in Tacheng City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 2, 2020. /Xinhua
Another Uygur woman from Aksu said thanks to the development in Xinjiang, she's happy to see her children have better living conditions than her and her husband.
"I have three children and I don't have to worry about raising them. Since they were born, the necessary vaccines for infants are free of charge. I can also get free nutritional commodities for them. They have medical insurance. And in the future when they go to school, we don't need to pay for tuition and meals because education is also free," said Hankiz Namet.
Xinjiang's regional spokesperson Elijan Anayat reiterated at the press conference that the "genocide" accusations by some Western countries are absurd lies.
He said the growth rate of the ethnic minority population in the region has been higher than the national average.
According to China's latest population census data, Xinjiang's permanent population had reached 25.85 million by October 2020, a rise of about 4 million from a decade ago.
Of the total permanent population in the region, ethnic minorities comprise over 57 percent. The Uygur ethnic group alone accounts for over 44 percent.
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