The factual Xinjiang Papers (Part-IV)
By Makhdoom Babar
President & Editor-in-Chief
While the Western Media campaigns against China for causing acute atrocities on Muslims in Xinjiang and accusing Beijing of subjecting people of Xinjiang to extreme oppression by depriving them of basic rights and withholding normal facilities to Uyghur Muslims over there, journalists from some 18 countries got together at Urumqi to explore the facts and to see what was the myth, what was the reality and what was the propaganda in this direction. What we, the independent journalists from Pakistan, India, Japan, Bangladesh, Sweden, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, France, Turkey, Egypt, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan etc witnessed during our journey to the inner Xinjiang, from Urumqi to Altay and from Burqin to Kanas regarding state of social life and development as well as law and order situation and wellbeing of the natives, we are producing here for the consumption of the global community that has been misled and misinformed by certain Western Media houses and individuals and eventually by the US government directly. these were the concocted facts about Xinjiang that gave fictitious reasons to the US to make an absurd legislation in the name of Uyghur Right Bill against China. We produce the factual Xinjiang Papers here for our valued readers across the world as part of our efforts to promote True, Accurate and Bold journalism.
For the past few years, China’s one of the most beautiful, scenic , lively, peaceful and attractive province, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was getting unprecedented attention from the Western Media. However the reason being the centre of attention of Xinjiang was not its being peaceful, naturally beautiful etc but the Western Media was focusing on or rather creating a so-called unrest in this little paradise on earth by spreading the rumors that Muslims of Xinjiang were being subjected to worst treatment by Chinese government.
However, this baseless propaganda by Western Media got a severe setback Independent media persons from 16 to 18 countries, along with their Chinese counterparts embarked upon a journey to the truth inside Xinjiang, recently. As the visiting media persons started to learn about the potential of Xinjiang and its mega importance in the Belt and Road Initiative, they easily understood as to why such baseless media campaigns regarding Xinjiang were constantly emitting from the Western World. Obviously to dent BRI by creating misperceptions and misunderstanding about Xinjiang and the life there.
Situated in the far north west of China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region covers an area of 1.66 million square kilometers. This is the biggest administrative division of China in terms of land mass. In the near past, the western region, which now comprises Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was less developed as compared to the Eastern Region.
Xinjiang borders eight countries from northeast to Southwest, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India with the longest borderline in the country. Since ancient times, Xinjiang has been an important corridor of exchange and communication, through which people of multi ethnicity travelled, interacted and exchanged cultures. Xinjiang is home to multiethnic groups and abounds in cultural resources. 23 million people hail from 55 ethnic groups, 13 of which are native ones.
For thousands of years people of various ethnic groups have created a remarkable civilization and left numerous heritages. Diverse religions including Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Taoism are practiced side by side here. Xinjiang is making full use of its geographical and cultural advantages, is further opening up and making efforts to act as main force and vanguard in building Silk Road Economic Belt. Xinjiang is destined to become a traffic hub, a commercial logistics centre, a financial centre, a cultural, scientific and educational centre, and a medical service centre in region on the first leg of the media tour that was participated by around 15 foreign journalists and some 22 Chinese media persons, the group was taken to Urumqi Dry Port from where China operates freight trains for Europe and so begins the process of connectivity.
“Nearly 1400 cargo trains departed from Urumqi to European destinations since the introduction of this service back in 2016,” Deputy Manager of China-Europe Cargo Train Realignment Centre Nan Jun said, while briefing the visiting media persons He said that this service that connected European countries and 42 cities helped reduce cost and time benefiting all those connected with the service. “We’re trying to improve the efficiency of the cargo train service to further cut the cost and time making the service smoother,” Nan Jun said. A study commissioned by the International Union of Railways estimates that China-Europe rail service could double their share of trade by volume over the next decade.
Read more tomorrow….
