Interview: So-called "forced labor" in Xinjiang slanderous, says Egyptian writer

CAIRO, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Claims circulated by the Western media about human rights violations in Xinjiang, such as "forced labor" and "genocide," are unjust and slanderous, an Egyptian columnist and writer has said.

The real situation in Xinjiang "demonstrates a very high degree of economic and social development, eradication of poverty, uprooting of terrorism and full right to practice religious beliefs and cultural inheritances," Kamal Gaballa, also a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with Xinhua.

The anti-China accusations launched by Western countries seek to contain China's development and "undermine China's unity," Gaballa said.

The writer visited Xinjiang in 2010 and 2019 respectively. After his second visit, Gaballa admired China's tremendous social and economic development so much that he wrote a book titled "70 Years of Miracles."

The book has an entire chapter on his field observation and direct dialogues with the people of Xinjiang.

"I concluded that the economic and social development in Xinjiang, as well as the ways followed by China to alleviate poverty and eradicate terrorism there, are considered an inspiring model for many developing countries to follow," said Gaballa.

The Egyptian writer recommended enhancing official and people-to-people exchanges between China and Arab countries to help Arabs witness with their own eyes the impressive development of Xinjiang.

Noting Xinjiang's development data are remarkable, Gaballa said: "I wish those data and statistics would reach all parts of the world, particularly people who love China and admire its renaissance, so that they wouldn't be misled by hostile propaganda."