UK Parliament Defines Uyghur Oppression as 'Genocide'... China Calls It a "Blatant Lie"

Passage of the Resolution in the National Assembly
The UK Government Urges Caution, Saying "It's a Matter for the Courts"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] As the UK Parliament has classified the human rights abuses against the Uyghur ethnic group in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as "genocide," China immediately reacted by calling it a "blatant lie."

According to major news agencies, on the 22nd (local time), the UK House of Commons passed a resolution stating that the Uyghurs in Xinjiang are suffering from "crimes against humanity" and genocide, urging the UK government to invoke international law. This is the first time the UK Parliament has defined the oppression of the Uyghurs as genocide. Previously, countries such as the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands have also voiced condemnation of China for genocide.

However, the parliamentary resolution does not impose binding obligations on the UK government. The UK government, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, maintained its existing stance, postponing the genocide designation. Nigel Adams, Minister of State for Asia at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, told Parliament, "It is the court's decision whether to define the human rights abuses in Xinjiang as genocide, which is the government's position."

The Chinese government immediately protested. On the 23rd, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing regarding allegations of genocide in Xinjiang, "This is a blatant lie fabricated by anti-China forces," adding, "The Chinese government and all ethnic groups in Xinjiang firmly oppose and strongly condemn it."

The Chinese Embassy in the UK also stated, "Accusations of genocide in Xinjiang are an utterly absurd lie of the century, an insult to the Chinese people, and a serious violation of international law and the norms of international relations," urging the UK to "immediately correct its wrongful actions."

It is reported that in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, over one million Muslim ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs, have been detained in camps by the Chinese government.