An unidentified photo shows women working at Eagle Textile's factory in Yarkant County, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. PHOTO CHINA DAILY Martin Charles, the ambassador of Dominica to China, said he did not see any of the claims that the Western media have been making about the autonomous Xinjiang Uygur region, including so-called human rights violations, as he paid a five-day visit to the region.
They said when you see, you believe, and so for those of us who come here, we have an opportunity to say to the Western media that what you have been reporting to us is not true.
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I have not seen anyone being forced to do labor or otherwise. In contrast, I have seen happy residents. Some countries are probably using the untruths as a means of controlling the rise of China, he said.
The ambassador, who has visited many other provinces in China, said he was moved by the great transformation that has taken place over the years in Xinjiang by learning about what the region was before and how it is now.
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I think China is looking after its people. This is something the rest of the world needs to look at about how to develop people, empower people, so that you can have a healthy, happy society, he said.
I would like to encourage as many people from the West in particular to come here and see for themselves, he said.
He has spoken with many foreigners coming to China, he said, adding, ''I have spoken to many foreigners coming to China''.
But, not only in Xinjiang, but whenever they come to any part of China, such as Beijing or Shanghai or Guangzhou, the impression of China is completely different to what they have been told and what they've heard about China, he said.