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Xi takes jab at US in Korean War commemoration
The deputy White House national security adviser denounced China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims, saying there was no justification for the country maintaining “concentration camps” within its borders.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping condemned “unilateralism, protectionism and extreme egoism” in a jab at the US during a rally on Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of China’s entry into the 1950-53 Korean War.
China refers to the conflict, in which it sent troops to aid North Korean forces against a United Nations coalition led by America, as the “war to resist US aggression and aid Korea”.
Although fighting ended in a stalemate, the war established China as a major player on the world stage and Friday’s commemorations closely fit with Xi’s drive to promote patriotism and the unquestioned leadership of the ruling Communist Party.
“In today’s world, the pursuit of unilateralism, protectionism and extreme egoism leads nowhere,” Xi told government and party leaders, veterans and family members of those who served in what China calls the Chinese People’s Volunteers.
“Arrogance, always doing as one pleases, acts of hegemony, overbearance or bullying will lead nowhere,” Xi said.
The deputy White House national security adviser denounced China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims, saying there was no justification for the country maintaining “concentration camps” within its borders.
Matt Pottinger made the remark in Mandarin in an online address to the UK-based Policy Exchange think tank.
Meanwhile, a Canadian parliamentary panel has described the persecution of the Uighurs in Xinjiang as a “genocide”, asking the government to recognise it as such and to impose sanctions against officials responsible.
The panel on human rights said it was “profoundly disturbed” at what it heard in testimony from witnesses and “convinced of the need for a strong response”.
