BEIJING/WASHINGTON • China has urged cooperation with Mr Joe Biden's administration and said it hoped that new US officials would make their own judgments on Xinjiang, after outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Beijing's crackdown in the region "genocide".
"We hope the new US administration will work together with China, with mutual respect, properly handle differences and conduct more win-win cooperation in more sectors," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing in Beijing yesterday, hours before Mr Biden was to be sworn in as US president.
"We always believe China-US relations are important, and keeping steady progress in our relationship is in line with our interests and that of the international community," she said.
Mr Pompeo, who has unleashed a barrage of measures against China in his final weeks in office, delivered his own parting shot on Tuesday when he announced that the Trump administration had determined that China has committed "genocide and crimes against humanity" by repressing Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
In his statement, Mr Pompeo called "on all appropriate multilateral and relevant juridical bodies to join the United States in our effort to promote accountability for those responsible for these atrocities".
Hitting back yesterday, Ms Hua said: "Pompeo has made so many lies in recent years, and this is just another bold-faced lie.
"This so-called determination by Pompeo is nothing but paper. This US politician is notorious for lying and cheating, is making himself a laughing stock and a clown."
The US decision does not automatically trigger any penalties, but means that countries will have to think hard about allowing their companies to do business with Xinjiang, a leading global supplier of cotton. The US last week barred entry to all cotton products and tomatoes from Xinjiang, prompting protests from Beijing and new vows to defend its companies.
Mr Pompeo's latest comments marked an escalation in tensions - and were quickly endorsed by Mr Biden's nominee for secretary of state, Mr Antony Blinken.
When asked about Mr Blinken, Ms Hua gave the incoming administration the benefit of the doubt, along with a warning that China would not accept criticism of its Xinjiang policy going forward.
"We hope the new US administration can have their own reasonable and cool-minded judgment on Xinjiang issues, among other issues," she said.
China has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuse of the Uighur population in its western Xinjiang region, where a United Nations panel has said at least one million Uighurs and other Muslims had been detained in camps.
"We oppose any allegations or accusations with the presumption of guilt," Ms Hua said. "We welcome and hope to have communication on the basis of equality and mutual trust. But we will never hesitate to uphold our own interests, sovereignty and development interests."
As Mr Biden takes office, the US and China face a relationship upended during the Trump era by battles on fronts ranging from Xinjiang to trade to the early handling of the coronavirus - and much of the foreign policy scrutiny on the incoming administration has focused on how it might approach China.
Mr Biden's national security team is expected to leave much of Mr Donald Trump's China policy in place for a period of time as it handles domestic crises and works with allies to build a more multilateral strategy to counter Beijing.
Beijing's ire has often been directed at Mr Pompeo, and Ms Hua was asked if she would miss him.
"Of course, we are enjoying a free-of-charge show every day," she said. "But I think the harm he incurred to the US image and reputation is irreversible and hard to heal."
BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
