Beijing lashes out at Canada over Uighur genocide vote

The Chinese government lashed out at Canada today after the House of Commons voted to declare that China is committing genocide against Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in its western Xinjiang region.

MPs passed a motion Monday saying that China'spersecution of these groupsamountsto genocide in accordance with the definition set out in the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, and called on the federal government to formally adopt that position.

In a media briefing in Beijing this morning, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said the Commons motion disregarded facts and was aimed at maligning and smearing China.

"Facts have proven that there's no genocide in Xinjiang. This is the lie of the century made up by extremely anti-China forces," said Wang Wenbin,according to a translation of his remarksprovided by the foreign ministry.

Wangalso slammed the part of the motion that called on the government to lobby the International Olympic Committee to move the 2022 Winter Olympic Games out of Beijing if the country doesn't change course.

"Canadian politicians are politicizing sports against the Olympic charter spirit and it harms the interests of the international movement and efforts of all countries," Wang said.

Wang condemned the vote as interference in China's domestic affairs and said the Chinese government has"lodged stern representations" with the Canadian side.

WATCH | Beijing sharply rebukes Canada over Uighur genocide vote

Beijing sharply rebukes Canada over Uighur genocide vote

4 years ago

Duration 2:48

China's foreign ministry accused Canada of smearing and maligning his country after a majority of MPs voted in favour of a Conservative motion saying the Chinese government is carrying out a campaign of genocide against Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims.

The remarks represent the first salvo in what could be a further deterioration of relations between the two countries, which are already at odds over thearrest of Huaweichief financial officerMeng Wanzhou by Canadian authorities more thantwo years ago, and China's subsequent imprisonment of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

Canada and severalallied governments have called the arrests of Kovrig and Spavor"arbitrary" and have argued they amount to "hostage diplomacy."

A substantial majority of MPsincluding most Liberals who participatedvoted in favour of the non-binding motion, which was proposed by the Conservative Party.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and all but one member of his cabinet were absent for the vote. Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneauwas present butsaidhe was abstainingfrom the vote"on behalf of the Government of Canada."

The motion came in response to media reports and other investigations citingevidence that China hasengaged in the widespread detention of Uighurs and other members of largely Muslim minorities. The reports alsohave describeda campaign offorced political indoctrination through "re-education," forced labour, sexual violence, population control methods and sweeping surveillance.

While a House of Commons subcommittee on international human rights said in an October report thatChina's campaign in Xinjiangamounted togenocide, theTrudeau government has beenreluctant to use the wordto describe China's actions.

After Monday's vote,Garneau issued a statement saying the federal government remains "deeply disturbed" by what he called "horrific reports of human rights violations" inXinjiang,including the use of arbitrary detention, political re-education, forced labour, torture and forced sterilization.

Garneaucalled for an independent investigation of the allegations.

Maya Wang, a senior China researcher with Human Rights Watch, said the failure of foreign governments to respond to abuses has emboldened the Chinese government.

"We are really at a point where if governments find reasons not to act on China'svery serious human rights abuses, we might be seeing worse abuses in the near future," said Wang.

In January, the federal governmentannounced a new regulationmeant to ensure that Canadian companies are not complicit in human rights abuses or the use of forced labour in Xinjiang. But the measures stoppedshort of imposing "Magnitsky-stylesanctions" on Chinese officials somethingcalled for by the committee and the opposition Conservatives.