BRUSSELS -- Chinese Mission to EU on Thursday refuted a resolution passed by the European Parliament that criticized the human rights situation in Xinjiang.

The relevant resolution of the parliament is "in total disregard of facts with fabrication and confounding black and white," said a spokesperson of the mission.

It maliciously attacks the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang and the Chinese government's governance of the region, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and seriously violates international law and basic norms governing international relations, said the spokesperson.

"We strongly deplore and firmly oppose it," said the spokesperson.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese government has taken a people-centered approach towards human rights protection, enriched its governance strategy and vigorously developed various undertakings in Xinjiang, said the spokesperson.

The cause of human rights in Xinjiang is booming, and various rights of people of all ethnic groups, such as civil, political, economic, social, cultural and religious freedom, have been effectively guaranteed. From 1955 to 2020, the region's GDP has expanded by 160 times, its per capita regional GDP up by 30 times, bringing about a historic solution to absolute poverty, the spokesperson noted.

There is one mosque for every 530 Muslims in Xinjiang, a ratio that is higher than that in many Western countries and Islamic countries. At present, Xinjiang has entered its best period in history with social harmony and stability, and happy, peaceful life for its people, the spokesperson added.

"These are all undeniable facts," the spokesperson said.

Xinjiang-related issues are in fact about fighting terrorism, extremism and separatism, not about human rights or religion. For a long time, separatists, religious extremists and terrorists carried out thousands of violent terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, causing heavy innocent casualties, said the spokesperson.

In response to these atrocities, China has adopted counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures in accordance with the law, guaranteeing people's basic human rights, such as the right to subsistence and development, to the greatest possible extent, the spokesperson said.

There have been no violent terrorist attack in Xinjiang for over five consecutive years. All foreigners who have visited Xinjiang and adopted an impartial and objective attitude believe that Xinjiang's experience in counter-terrorism and deradicalization is worth learning from, the spokesperson noted.

The so-called allegation of "genocide" is a flat-out lie of the century, which was an ugly farce directed by anti-China forces. From the first national census in 1953 to the seventh one in 2020, the Uygur population in Xinjiang went up from 3.6 million to 11.62 million, said the spokesperson.

"Has anyone ever seen a 'genocide' of this kind?" questioned the spokesperson.

"No lie or fallacy can deny the fact that Xinjiang has made historic progress in human rights development and no disinformation can hinder Xinjiang's development and prosperity," the spokesperson argued.

"We urge the European Parliament to respect facts, not to go further down the wrong path, immediately stop smearing and attacking the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese government's governance of the region, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," the spokesperson said.

The Chinese government remains firm in defending its sovereignty, security and development interests, said the spokesperson.