China defends Xinjiang policies after U.S. think tank reports security spending rise
Record ID:
1363136
China defends Xinjiang policies after U.S. think tank reports security spending rise
- Title: China defends Xinjiang policies after U.S. think tank reports security spending rise
- Date: 6th November 2018
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (NOVEMBER 6, 2018) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING ARRIVING FOR REGULAR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN, HUA CHUNYING, SAYING: "I'm unclear where these numbers came from. Personally it's unclear to me as to how much (Xinjiang's government) invests in security. I don't know if the think tank you refer to is clearly versed or not in the amount the local Xinjiang government has invested in developing its economy and improving the livelihood of its people and how much benefits (the people of Xinjiang) receive." JOURNALISTS SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN, HUA CHUNYING, SAYING: "In recent years the Xinjiang government has invested more in its goal of maintaining stability and safety and opposing terrorism in the region and has achieved periodic success. As the chairman of the Xinjiang autonomous region has shown, for a total of 21 consecutive months, there have not been any violent terrorist incidents in Xinjiang, nor have there been any cases of threats or attacks against the public. The safety and stability (of the region) has obviously improved. There has been a remarkably heightened sense of security for people of all ethnic groups." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS EXTERIOR OF FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG FLYING
- Embargoed: 20th November 2018 10:11
- Keywords: Xinjiang policies China troubled region Xinjiang security spending think tank U.S. security foreign ministry
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- City: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA00195D8U9X
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: China's foreign ministry defended its policies in the far western region of Xinjiang on Tuesday (November 6) after a U.S. think tank published a report saying spending on security-related construction had tripled in 2017.
The report published on Monday (November 5) by U.S. think-tank the Jamestown Foundation examined government budget data and found spending on security-related construction in Xinjiang - where Beijing is accused of detaining as many as one million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims - rose last year by nearly 20 billion yuan ($2.90 billion), or 213 percent.
Speaking at a daily news briefing, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not personally know how much Xinjiang's security expenditure was, but asked whether Jamestown had also looked into how much money the Xinjiang local government had spent "developing the economy and improving lives".
China's record will be examined by the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday, the first time since 2013, in a regular review expected to focus on its treatment of ethnic minorities, especially Uighurs and Tibetans. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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