BEIJING: China on Tuesday criticized Pope Francis over an article in his new
book in which he described the plight of the Uighur minority. China. This is according to the release by CNA on Tuesday, November 24, 2020.Speaking at a daily news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the Pope's remarks were baseless.
"People of all ethnic groups in China have the same rights to life, development and freedom of religion as ordinary people," Zhao said.
According to a UN report, the Chinese government has detained about 1 million indigenous Uighurs in various detention centers in Xinjiang and accused Chinese authorities of human rights abuses. In response, Beijing has denied the report, saying that what China is doing is only to fight terrorists and extremists.
