Beijing condemned Friday February 26 the adoption of a motion by the Dutch deputies equating the treatment by China of its Uyghur Muslim minority to a "
genocide
", the first step in this direction of a country of the European Union.
Read also: The Canadian Parliament recognizes a "genocide" against the Uyghurs in China
The text was adopted Thursday in the Parliament of the Netherlands by 95 votes out of 149 voters.
He recognizes that "
genocide is underway in China against the Uyghur minority
".
The motion is non-binding and it took a majority of 75 votes for it to be approved.
China has embarked on a policy of maximum surveillance of Uyghurs in its region of Xinjiang (northwest) after numerous deadly attacks against civilians.
Beijing accuses the separatist and Islamist Uyghur movement.
According to studies by American and Australian institutes, at least one million Uyghurs have been interned in "
camps
" in Xinjiang.
Beijing refutes this term and speaks instead of "
vocational training centers
" intended to help the population find a job and thus keep them away from extremism.
The Dutch parliament's vote aims "
deliberately to smear China and interfere in its internal affairs
," a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy, Wang Wenbin, condemned on Friday, condemning the initiative.
"
The facts show that there has never been any genocide in Xinjiang,
" Wang told reporters.
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that per capita GDP in Xinjiang had increased nearly 40 times in the space of about 60 years and life expectancy had jumped 30 years. at 72 years old.
The Netherlands is the first European country to accuse China of genocide.
Canadian MPs and the US State Department have made similar statements in recent weeks.