French Resolution on China genocide likely to strain ties: Report

The passing of the Uyghur resolution last month by the French Parliament, denouncing rights violations in China, signals a new stage in the war against China by the West.

The resolution was adopted just prior to the inauguration of the Winter Olympics in China and threatens to strain ties between France and China, according to The HK Post.

The Chinese embassy in France last month had opposed the resolution that the French Parliament adopted over human rights issues in Xinjiang province, and expressed concerns over the "damage" it could cause to bilateral relations.

The embassy in a statement said the resolution deliberately smeared China and grossly interfered in its internal affairs, state media tabloid Global Times reported.

"China has held a strong dialogue with France on this issue on many occasions and at multiple levels, and made it clear and serious that Xinjiang-related issues are not ethnic religious or human rights issues, but anti-terrorism, de-radicalization, and anti-separatism issues, which bear on China's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security," the embassy said.

It added that the genocide in Xinjiang is a "big lie" fabricated on the basis of prejudice and hostility toward China.

In its resolution, the French Parliament slammed the "genocide" of its Uyghur Muslims. The resolution, which could sour relations between Paris and Beijing, urged the French government to protect the ethnic minority in the Xinjiang region and take "the necessary measures within the international community and in its foreign policy towards the People's Republic of China".

The non-binding resolution, adopted with 169 votes in favor and just one against, was proposed by the opposition Socialists in the Lower House of Parliament.

As per the adopted resolution, the French National Assembly "officially recognizes the violence perpetrated by the People's Republic of China against the Uyghurs as constituting crimes against humanity and genocide".

Last year, similar resolutions were passed by parliaments in Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands last year, and the US government has also condemned what it deems genocide in Xinjiang.