JULY 7 MFA PRESS BRIEFING: XINJIANG, RUSSIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001877 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV CH RS SUBJECT: JULY 7 MFA PRESS BRIEFING: XINJIANG, RUSSIA ¶1. Key points at the July 7 MFA press briefing: - Regarding the events in Xinjiang, MFA spokesperson Qin said that the "facts could not be clearer" and that an "evil crime" had taken place that some people called a "peaceful demonstration." Qin said that these people were cowards and "totally lying," making rumors and distorting the facts. Such people were "afraid" to see development in Xinjiang and did not want to see thriving industry in Xinjiang. Competent authorities had taken decisive measures and "social order had returned to normal and the situation brought under control." - According to Qin, there was evidence that Rebiya Kadeer and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) were responsible for the attacks and Chinese authorities had already released some evidence about the involvement of foreign separatists in instigating the violence. As the investigation continued, Qin said that he believed "we will find out what happened," and Rebiya could never succeed by "lying to the public forever." ETIM had also attempted to "ruin" national unity and separate China and the "true terrorist nature" of the organization would be exposed to the world. - Qin said that some journalists were "believed to have violated certain regulations" but it was possible that local authorities mistakenly thought that journalists broke local laws. Attacks in Xinjiang: Evil Crime, Social Order Restored -------------- -------------- ¶2. Regarding the violence in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, the "facts could not be clearer" that an "evil crime" had taken place that some people called a "peaceful demonstration," said spokesperson Qin Gang at the July 7 regular MFA press briefing. He said that these people were cowards and "totally lying," making rumors and distorting the facts and that such people were "afraid" to see development and thriving industry in Xinjiang. Qin said that competent authorities had taken decisive measures and "social order had returned to normal and the situation brought under control." Rebiya Kadeer and ETIM Responsible for Violence in Xinjiang -------------- -------------- ¶3. Competent authorities in Xinjiang had called the violence a "premeditated and orchestrated crime" and a "serious violent criminal act." According to Qin, there was evidence that Rebiya Kadeer was responsible for the attacks and competent authorities had already released some evidence about the involvement of foreign separatists in instigating the violence. As the investigation continued, Qin said that he believed "we will find out what happened," and Rebiya Kadeer could never succeed by "lying to the public forever." Qin said that Rebiya Kadeer had committed crimes, and jeopardized national security, and in a spirit of humanity was allowed to seek medical treatment in the United States under the condition that she would not undertake activities to "harm China." Her actions in the last few years proved she would "never stop her harmful activities" and Qin urged international countries not to provide any form of support to her separatist activities. Qin said that the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) had also attempted to "ruin" national unity and separate China and the "true terrorist nature" of the organization would be exposed to the world. Blackout of Phones and Internet -------------- ¶4. Addressing telephone and internet service blackouts in Xinjiang, Qin noted the involvement of foreign forces who frequently used cell phones to incite violence, and said local authorities had taken responsive measures "according to law" and if journalists had communication difficulties they could refer to the MFA for assistance. China Totally Transparent to Media Organizations -------------- --- ¶5. China was totally transparent to media outlets and had organized and facilitated media reporting in Xinjiang and hoped international media would be fair and objective in reporting the truth of the incident. Asked about journalists detained in Xinjiang, Qin said that some journalists were "believed to have violated certain regulations" but it was possible that local authorities had mistakenly believed that journalists had broken local laws. Qin said that he personally had coordinated with local authorities to properly solve those issues. He acknowledged that many journalists were in Xinjiang covering the issue and said that "social order is returning to normal" and that China welcomed journalists to Xinjiang, but also hoped they would respect local regulations, abide by Chinese laws and look out for their personal safety. Out of concern for journalists' personal safety, Qin said he hoped BEIJING 00001877 002 OF 002 journalists would understand and cooperate with authorities and contact the MFA if there were problems. However, if anyone broke the law, the MFA would be unable to assist them. Arrests in Xinjiang Were for the Safety of the Chinese People -------------- -------------- ¶6. Responding to human rights organizations criticisms of China's handling of the riots, Qin said he was surprised that these organizations "showed no sympathy for the victims" and were making use of the incident to "point a finger at China." The purpose of detaining people was to ensure the safety and security of the Chinese people, including lives and property, and that any country that faced such violent acts would not allow them to continue "or else they would not be a country under the rule of law." Qin said that these actions had the support of the public. Further investigations were still needed for those under arrest, but Qin said that the law was fair, treated everyone equally, and not a single "good person" would be prosecuted and not a single "bad person" would escape justice. Some people had a bias against China and saw a problem with China no matter what China did, and China could never expect a fair perspective from people "opposed to justice and the Chinese people." Attacks on Chinese Missions Abroad -------------- ¶7. On July 6, demonstrations had taken place outside the Chinese Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands. Stones and rocks had been thrown at the Embassy, breaking windows, putting diplomatic personnel at risk and disturbing the conduct of diplomatic business, said Qin. At the Chinese consulate in Munich, two unidentified persons had thrown Molotov cocktails, causing damage to the building and flag. China "strongly condemned" the attacks and had made solemn representations to the Dutch and German governments and urged them to take all necessary measures to abide by the Vienna Convention, ensure the safety and dignity of Chinese diplomats and bring the perpetrators to justice. Post-START Agreement -------------- ¶8. China welcomed the signing of a post-START agreement in Moscow and believed that by reducing their nuclear arsenals, Russia and the United States could create conditions for global disarmament, a goal China supported. GOLDBERG