A joint statement by 55 Chinese groups in the Netherlands was published in the Netherlands’ United Times, protesting against the “Xinjiang genocide” motion passed by the Dutch parliament.
After the Dutch parliament passed a motion late last month condemning China’s “genocide” policy against the Uighurs, 55 local Chinese groups have responded with a statement in the Chinese newspaper, the same as the one issued by the Chinese Embassy earlier. Dissidents in exile in the Netherlands denounce the Chinese community as a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party. (By Wu Yitong/Cheng Wen)
Last week, the Dutch Chinese newspaper United Times published a statement by 55 Chinese associations in two important pages, accusing the motion in the Dutch parliament of “disregarding facts and common sense, deliberately smearing and discrediting China, and grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs. The statement asked the Dutch politicians who moved the motion whether they had been to Xinjiang. Have they really got first-hand real data and materials? The statement also said that “a small number of Dutch parliamentarians are trying to make malicious speculation before the election, a trick to gain political capital for themselves.
The Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands issued a statement (left) on Feb. 26, accusing the Dutch parliament of “reckless disregard for facts, smearing China and violently interfering in China’s internal affairs,” which became a template for statements by Chinese communities in the Netherlands. (Online screenshot)
A staff member of the All Dutch Chinese Association, which organized the event, told us that after the Chinese ambassador in the Netherlands issued a protest statement, local Chinese groups also took action.
“The Dutch parliamentarians raised the issue of Xinjiang, which is also supported by many parties, and the Netherlands will have elections next week. They also protested against the Dutch government. After that, we basically gathered every overseas Chinese group in the Netherlands to issue this statement.
Another statement was issued by the Dutch Association for the Promotion of Chinese Unity, but it did not respond to our request for comment.
Asiye Abdulahed, an exiled Dutch whistleblower who has spoken out about the Xinjiang concentration camp program, told the station that these Chinese communities are acting as a tool of the CCP’s united front, using the democratic and free environment in the Netherlands to defend the CCP.
Asiye Abdulahed said: “The CCP is infiltrating all over the world, and the CCP is working in the West through the overseas Chinese communities to undermine the democratic and liberal values of the West. Although they enjoy democracy and freedom in the Netherlands, they do not blame the CCP for the genocide of the Uighurs, and they speak out for the CCP.
Asya also said that she herself and the Uyghurs in exile in the Netherlands have provided many first-hand testimonies to the Dutch parliament, which made its determination of the CCP’s suppression of the Uyghurs on the basis of empirical evidence. The Netherlands, as a small country, has shown courage and human rights commitment.
Asya said: It is indeed remarkable that a small country like the Netherlands, as the first European country, recognizes this Uyghur genocide, and we have done a very big job in the Netherlands, constantly providing some substantial evidence to the Dutch government. The Dutch political circles are now very concerned about this issue, because this is not only the issue of Uighur genocide, not only the security of the Netherlands, this is a matter of the security of the whole Europe, and even the whole world.
Uyghurs living abroad hold up signs demanding that the Chinese Communist authorities account for the whereabouts of their imprisoned relatives, courtesy of “China Wire” whistleblower Asya. (Courtesy of Asya / date of photo unknown)
Ma Yongtao, a pro-democracy activist living in the Netherlands, believes that the Chinese embassy’s statement is a generic version of the statements made by these Chinese communities, showing that they are in close contact with each other and bringing to the surface the Chinese communist forces hidden in Dutch society. Ma believes that the Dutch parliament should next discuss legislation against Chinese Communist infiltration.
Ma Yongtao said: “The adoption of a motion in the Netherlands that China is committing genocide in Xinjiang is like stirring up a hornet’s nest, and a total of 55 Chinese organizations, large and small, led by the Dutch Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, issued this statement. It was definitely organized by the Chinese Embassy, which shows how serious the Chinese Communist Party is in infiltrating these democratic countries. Not only in the Netherlands, but also in the whole Europe, we should legislate to investigate the background of these organizations.
On February 25, the second chamber of the Dutch parliament passed a non-binding motion stating that the Chinese Communist authorities are committing genocide against ethnic minorities such as the Uighurs. The motion stated that “measures aimed at preventing births” and the “establishment of punishment camps” fall under the “genocide” convention of UN Resolution 260.
The Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands issued a statement the following day, accusing “the motion in the second chamber of the Dutch parliament of disregarding facts and common sense, deliberately smearing and discrediting China, and grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs.
Prior to the Netherlands, the U.S. and Canadian parliaments had also recognized the genocide of the Uighurs by the Chinese Communist Party.
Recent Comments