Urumqi: Uygurs enjoy the same legitimate rights as all other ethnic groups in China, and it is groundless to label them as “persecuted people”, a spokesman from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region’s government said.
Ilijan Anayt said at a news conference held in the autonomous region that a claim in Pope Francis’s new book calling Uygurs in China “persecuted people” was not supported by facts or evidence.
Ilijan said that China protects the lawful rights and interests of all ethnic groups. He added that Uygurs enjoy the same legal status and rights as all other ethnic groups in China, including the right to vote and stand for elections, the right to participate in the administration of State affairs and freedom of religion.
The Xinjiang government devotes 70 percent of its annual general public budget to improving people’s livelihoods through a series of projects in employment, culture, education and medical care, ensuring that all ethnic groups in the region enjoy full rights to subsistence and development, Ilijan said.
– The Daily Mail-China Daily News exchange item
