Experts attend online forum on Xinjiang

URUMQI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A group of experts and scholars from around the world attended an online forum on Thursday, discussing the situation in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

During the forum titled "Xinjiang in My Eyes," participants from 16 countries including Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Slovenia, the United States, Britain and Denmark exchanged views with their Chinese counterparts on Xinjiang's social stability, economic development, the improvement of people's livelihoods and their religious beliefs.

They agreed that profound development and changes have taken place in Xinjiang in recent years, with the basic rights of people of all ethnic groups effectively guaranteed, and that other countries should not make irresponsible remarks about Xinjiang, let alone interfere in China's internal affairs.

The forum was held by the China Public Diplomacy Association, which led a delegation of Chinese college professors, scholars and journalists on a tour around Xinjiang on May 17-20.

Wu Hailong, president of the association, said at the forum that the visit showed the social stability and peace that exists in Xinjiang, with the people living and working in contentment. He hopes that more people around the world will discover the real Xinjiang and dispel the fabricated stories about the region.

U.S. expert William Jones said that some Western media have slandered Xinjiang, but the forces behind them do not care about the real situation there.

Danilo Turk, former president of Slovenia, said that to discuss the human rights issue in Xinjiang, one must take into account the real facts, but many of the critics of Xinjiang do not know the facts and are politically biased.

Former Kyrgyz prime minister Djoomart Otorbaev said that the facts will triumph over the lies. He hopes more people will visit Xinjiang and the negative comments about Xinjiang will be gradually dispelled.