OTTAWA — The Chinese government says a motion MPs passed Wednesday to provide asylum to persecuted Uyghurs amounts to political manipulation by Canada.
MPs including Prime Mister Justin Trudeau unanimously called on Ottawa to design a program that would bring 10,000 people of Turkic origin, including Uyghurs, to Canada from countries other than China.
They passed a motion that acknowledges reports that Uyghurs outside China have been sent back to their country of birth, where they have faced arrest as part of Beijing's crackdown on Muslim groups.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing that people in the Xinjiang region live in peaceful harmony, contradicting widespread reports of forced labour and sexual violence.
An English translation by the ministry said Canada should "stop politically manipulating Xinjiang-related issues for ulterior motives," and Ottawa is "spreading disinformation and misleading the public."
The non-binding motion said the government should come up with the outline of a resettlement program by May 12 that would begin in 2024 and meet its target within two years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2023.
The Canadian Press
