There is no so-called "forced labor" in Xinjiang, and the Chinese government stands firmly against forced labor and has taken tough measures against it, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a query concerning a so-called investigation report by BBC, which claimed tomato purées sold by several UK supermarkets appear to contain tomatoes grown and picked in Xinjiang using forced labor.
Xinjiang tomatoes, like Xinjiang cotton, are known and enjoyed throughout the world for their high quality, Lin said.
The farming process of tomatoes and cotton in Xinjiang have largely been mechanized already -- over 90 percent of the tomatoes and over 85 percent of cotton in Xinjiang are now harvested by machines, he added. "How could there be 'forced labor?'"
Stressing journalism lives in its truthfulness, Lin pointed out that in the BBC story, a lot of the so-called "evidence" came from what the interviewees "heard" or "felt." The reporting is based on preconceived assumptions and jumped to the "forced labor" conclusion without verifying the assumptions and by taking words out of context, he said.
He went on to say that in recent years, "forced labor" has become a convenient false narrative for some to create media hypes and attack Xinjiang. Their self-directed, well-scripted productions contain so-called "testimonies" and "reports" from dubious sources.
"Whatever the disinformation, it will not change the high quality of Xinjiang products, nor will it make Xinjiang a less prosperous and stable place," said the spokesperson.
"We hope readers will see through this 'forced labor' narrative, and we welcome people to go to Xinjiang, try the tomatoes and experience Xinjiang as it is," Lin added.
