No ban on goodwill visit to Xinjiang region: China

BEIJING: China reiterated that Xinjiang Autonomous region is an open area and if anybody really wants to go there with goodwill, he is welcomed.

But if somebody is malicious and prejudiced and try to intervene in China's internal affairs, then China resolutely rejects it, said a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying here at a weekly news briefing.

Her attention was drawn towards a letter reportedly written by some foreign ambassadors to China to the head of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, asking for a meeting and expressing concerns about the situation in Xinjiang.

The spokesperson said, “I don't know if they have any good concerns about the current situation in Xinjiang. Why do they make such a request and jointly pressure the Chinese side.” To her, she said, this is very rude move and is not acceptable. “We hope that as ambassadors, they can truly fulfill their responsibilities and obligations, play a positive and constructive role in helping their countries to understand China in a true, comprehensive and three-dimensional way and to promote mutual trust, friendship and cooperation between China and the countries they represent,” she added. The spokesperson reiterated that there is no problem for foreigners to travel, visit or conduct normal exchange visits in Xinjiang.

However, just a reporter asked about the urging of several Western ambassadors to China to go to Xinjiang to pressure or blame the local government. This is something we do not welcome, she said.

The Chinese government, the spokesperson said, welcome everyone to learn about Xinjiang in China with goodwill. In fact, Western diplomats and journalists in China have never been a problem in Xinjiang.

The relevant personnel can travel or visit Xinjiang in full, but only if they must abide by Chinese laws and regulations and must not interfere in China's internal affairs. Individual Western diplomats claim to go to Xinjiang to conduct the so-called "human rights situation investigation", which is beyond the duties of diplomats.

“The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations does not have such authorization, so we certainly cannot agree. Again, we welcome normal exchanges and visits with goodwill, but we refuse to engage in malicious interference in China's internal affairs, she added.