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In response to some media outlets claiming that pepper products sold in US and British supermarkets contain materials produced by “forced labor” in Xinjiang by citing a report from an anti-China scholar, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that the report mentioned by some media outlets is full of loopholes as it cites some vague descriptions of so-called “anonymous eyewitnesses” in a fanciful manner, lacking in factual support or even the most basic on-site investigations.
Lin said that, in reality, pepper cultivation in Xinjiang has largely been mechanized, with machine harvesting rates in many major production areas reaching 100 percent. “Is it ‘forced machine labor?'” he said.
Lin further noted that earlier this week, an international seminar on employment and social security in Xinjiang was held in Urumqi, attended by over 200 guests from more than 40 countries, regions, and international organizations. Attendees stated that they witnessed a Xinjiang completely different from the false narratives, condemning the lies of “forced labor” as grossly misleading and contrary to the truth. They emphasized that such fabrications deprive the people of Xinjiang of their rights to work, livelihood, and development, Lin said.
From Xinjiang’s cotton to tomatoes and now peppers, certain Western media outlets and professional fabricators are tirelessly concocting and directing one absurd soap opera after another from their shadowy house of cards. They are either spreading rumors or on their way to making more, Lin said. He emphasized that no matter how frequently such farces are staged, they cannot obscure the facts. No lie, no matter how many times it is repeated, can replace the truth, much less deceive the international community, he added.
We’ve seen this kind of drama too many times, and it’s old, absurd and clumsy. It’s better to get a better scriptwriter, Lin said.
Global Times
