China rejects US secretary of state’s criticism on Xinjiang

BEIJING — China’s government has denounced U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s comment that Beijing is trying to erase Muslim culture in its northwest.

A foreign ministry spokesman on Monday rejected Pompeo’s comment at the United Nations that the detention of Chinese Muslims is unrelated to anti-terrorism activity.

The spokesman, Geng Shuang, said Chinese activities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where critics say Muslims are held in detention camps, are the same as de-radicalization efforts in other countries.

Geng said U.S. political leaders “slandered China’s policy toward Xinjiang and grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs.”

The Associated Press